


Love in the Time of Teamwork

by Epicocity



Series: The Ancienverse [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-03 23:12:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 159,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14006919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epicocity/pseuds/Epicocity
Summary: Ancienverse Book One. Once every seven years there was a tournament celebrating the bonds between people and Pokemon. Of course, Serena expected Ash to want to take part, but she had no idea the ways in which it would change their lives for good or ill. She was confident, however, that by the end of that week, something between herself and Ash would be different. Amourshipping.Posted on fanfiction.net





	1. A Tournament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fun story I've thought up and I hope that you can all enjoy it with me. It is my first Amourshipping story after having previously been a diehard Pokeshipper, but I think it will turn out well.
> 
> NOTE: This takes place sometime between either XY104 (Party Dancecapades) and XY108 or immediately after XY109. I'm not sure yet, but spoilers for one or two evolutions…that aren't really spoilers in my opinion. This will make it AU, pretty much, diverging from that point in canon.
> 
> Author: Epicocity
> 
> Rating: K Plus for slight violence, maybe some language
> 
> Pairings: Amourshipping, naturally.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Of course, I don't own Pokémon. Why would one even ask that?

**Love in the Time of Teamwork**

An Amourshipping Pokémon Story

Chapter 1

A Tournament

"A tournament?' Ash asked, his mouth stuffed to the brim with Clemont's latest meal. Said blond-haired boy moved his plate to avoid some of the food that flew from Ash's mouth. He wasn't entirely sure how successful he was. Seeming to notice just what he had done to his friend, Ash smiled sheepishly and finished swallowing his food before continuing with his question. "Where is it? What's it like?"

"I thought that would get you excited," Serena giggled from behind her napkin. Next to Serena, Bonnie rolled her eyes and continued to cautiously separate her carrots. Serena briefly observed the air of the table around her, especially the raven-haired trainer in front of her who was looking like Christmas had come early. Well…Christmas always came early for Ash; that was Serena's impression, at least. Ever since she'd joined up with the boy some months ago, she noticed that anytime something new was offered, Ash would light up and immediately want to take part in it. That was one of the things she admired about him.

"I'm rather intrigued, myself," Clemont said, placing his plate back onto the table. Serena tipped her head towards him in interest. It was actually quite rare to hear Clemont sound interested in taking part in a battle. Sure, he was a fan of group activities, and as a gym leader he always loved a good battle, but he was never quite as enthusiastic as Ash. His sister on the other hand…

"That sounds like a lot of fun! If only I could train Pokémon. Do you think they'd let Dedenne participate?" Bonnie asked sweetly. Serena once more turned her head, a smile playing on her lips. She loved Bonnie and her never-ending enthusiasm for Pokémon. It really reminded her of what Ash was like back when they first met as children at Professor Oak's summer camp. Maybe that was why she was so taken with the little girl and viewed her like a sister. Serena would have spent more time contemplating those memories and ruminations but, realizing she was the one who brought the topic up, she decided to abandon it for another time.

"I'm sure if Clemont wanted to use Dedenne…" Serena said, trailing the conversation to lead back to the older of the Lumiose siblings. Clemont nearly choked on a piece of bread.

"I'm…not so sure that's a good idea…"

"Aw, why not?" Bonnie pouted.

"Nene!" Dedenne argued as well, though none of the humans fully understood what it meant by that. Before the two siblings could get into a pointless fight, Ash intervened with a well-timed question. Serena was more than happy to have her attention return to him. It wasn't that she didn't like either Clemont or Bonnie; she adored them in a way that she adored having a big brother or a little sister. After being an only child her whole life, they infused her travels with even more zest than she would have thought. Ash, however, inspired her. And for once, she was glad that her information was inspiring him.

"So, what's this tournament about, Serena?" the raven-haired trainer asked, scratching behind Pikachu's ears as he cooed contentedly. Serena continued smiling as she dug into her bag and pulled out her map, bringing up the information on the screen.

"Ta-dah!" she announced, and Clemont and Bonnie stopped their bickering to turn to look at it. "It's called the Kalos Team Tournament. I don't know the rules but it takes place in Ancien City in just a couple days. If we travel at a decent pace tomorrow, we could get there before it started."

"The Kalos Team Tournament, huh?" Clemont questioned, adjusting his glasses a little. "I've heard of that one. It's real famous around the region because it only takes place once every seven years, right?"

"That's right!" Serena confirmed for her friend. "It's supposed to be the greatest tournament in the Kalos region besides the League Conference because it instills a strong relationship between people and Pokémon from all over the region."

"Sounds like a lot of fun, don't you think, buddy?" Ash asked, turning to Pikachu with a look of glee.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered. Serena continued smiling, happy that she had managed to put a smile on Ash's face with what she said (although, it wasn't that hard to do so, considering he could get excited at everything). She cleared her throat, too, hoping to continue talking about the subject further before Ash could get too carried away…like always.

"So, the information here says it takes place over the course of a week. I hope you don't mind putting off our journey to Snowbelle City for that time," she said, making sure that Ash understood just what participating in the tournament meant.

"A week, huh?" Ash mused thoughtfully. He had finished scratching Pikachu and was now thinking intently. Clemont was the one to jump into the conversation while Ash was busy utilizing his brain cells.

"I think it'd be a great opportunity for all of us to improve our skills as trainers," he inserted in. "I mean, the Kalos League isn't going anywhere and Ash has been on top of his game for a while now."

"I don't know about that. We could always use more training, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried emphatically, fist-pumping alongside his trainer. Ash had briefly stood from his chair but sat after making his triumphant statement.

"I'm surprised a tournament would last a whole week," he said, reaching over for a macaron that Serena had left on the table for dessert. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Chespin's vines coming to grab a couple before Clemont swatted it away irritably. She resisted the urge to giggle uncontrollably. "Most of the tournaments I've been in were usually a day or two. A week is pretty extensive."

"Well, apparently, it's more than just a tournament," Serena explained, pulling up the information even further to show to Ash once again. He appeared to not be interested in actually reading it, choosing to listen to Serena dole the information out instead. "Like I said, I don't know how the tournament is structured, but apparently at the end of each night there's a little festival to celebrate the day's events."

"Oh, so it's like a weeklong festival with a competition thrown in?" Clemont asked, himself actually choosing to peruse the information that his female traveling companion had provided. Serena briefly flitted her eyes over to him before going back to Ash, whose eyes were shining with excitement.

"That's so  _cool_!" Bonnie insisted, hugging both Dedenne and Squishy close to her. Serena raised an eyebrow; while Dedenne seemed okay with it, Squishy looked like it was about to burst. "I bet we'll be able to see a lot of cute Pokémon. This'll be really fun!"

"Dedene!"

"Yeah, I think so, too!" Serena insisted heartily. "I've never taken part in an actual tournament before, so it'll be a whole new experience for us. Right, Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon?" Her Pokémon all cheered out loudly, alongside Ash's who seemed to be excited the moment they'd seen their trainer get fired up about entering said tournament in the first place.  _Like trainer, like Pokémon_ , Serena thought to herself.

"Well, I can always give you some pointers if you'd like, Serena?" Ash suggested harmlessly. Not that Serena fully took it as that. She realized that Ash always spoke his mind in the most innocent of ways (not to mention heartfelt) but the innocent obliviousness of his offer didn't stop the blush from rising on Serena's face.

"No. No, that's okay, Ash. I'm sure we'll be fine." Ash shrugged like it didn't matter and Serena sighed gratefully. There was a slight snickering heard from next to her, but when Serena looked over at Bonnie she found the blonde-haired girl happily feeding Dedenne a macaron. "Anyway, I think it'll be fun, especially with all the different festivals. According to this, the whole tournament closes off with a dance. That's exciting, right, A…?"

"Too late," Bonnie commented. Serena had already realized that with a mighty pout. She was no stranger to Ash and his Pokémon rushing off to train after a hearty meal, but it had been too inappropriately timed in that instance. Serena puffed her cheeks and swiped a macaron for herself. Ash would always be Ash, and that was one of the things she loved about him.

"All right, guys, let's train for this tournament and our Snowbelle gym battle!" Ash cried. His Pokémon heartily agreed and even Clemont dashed off to join him for the training session. This left Serena and Bonnie to clean up the dishes.

While she did so, Serena reflected just a little on her journey so far. Simple steps, that was what Serena had taken; just like picking up dishes was a simple step in cleaning, she had taken a simple step every day. This tournament was just another simple step on her road forward. A breeze blew across the area and Serena took a quick glance at the duo of battling males. Simple steps…like the simple step of journeying to meet Ash. Of deciding to become a Pokémon Performer. Okay, maybe they weren't all "simple" per se, but they were steps. Serena also liked to think she was taking steps forward in her relationship with Ash, one bit at a time, even if Ash Ketchum seemed to be an oblivious rock when it came to her affections.

Serena let a brief sigh escape her lips as she handed the plates to Pancham to clean them off. The Playful Pokémon took them with great cheer and began scrubbing them down. It was such a mindless activity that Serena, inevitably, found her thoughts drifting further into thinking about either her next performance or Ash. There was no denying (and, in fact, many had suspected) that Serena was hopelessly head over heels in love with Ash. Well, "love" may have been a strong term, but it accurately summed up her feelings. She loved the way his eyes lit up every time he met a new Pokémon. She loved his ferocity in the midst of an intense battle. She loved the way he encouraged everyone around him, herself especially. Most of all, she loved that he never gave up. Not that she'd voice this to him, at all. She could hardly voice it to herself, and she trusted herself more than anyone besides her Pokémon. No, Serena realized that Ash was probably always going to be someone to admire from afar.

Although, in the deepest corners of her mind, Serena could admit that she had hoped this tournament would change that. Maybe, if she showed Ash what a competent battler she could be, he would acknowledge her as being more than the "fun and caring traveling companion" like so many of the other girls from his travels. Maybe, if she could manage to snag one dance from Ash at the end of this tournament, then he'd see her in a different light. These were all fantasies, and none that Serena had the actual courage to act out…she'd had plenty of opportunities to already, and she kept pushing them off. "After I win the next showcase," or "after I make it to Master Class". Her best one yet was "After I become Kalos Queen".  _Pfft, like that'll happen so easily,_  Serena thought darkly, her face taking on the same kind of countenance.  _No, stop thinking that way. I_ will  _become Kalos Queen, because I won't give up_. Another sigh escaped her lips nonetheless.

"What're you thinking about, Serena?" Bonnie asked innocently. Serena turned to look at the younger girl and noticed Bonnie wearing a rather devious smirk, like she'd just caught Serena with her hand in the cookie jar.

"N-nothing…" the honey-blonde insisted, turning defiantly to her dishes. She tried to think of a way to distract Bonnie but Dedenne was too busy chasing Squishy around the field they were camped out on, leaving the younger girl's attention on her.

"Oh, brother, you're as transparent as Ash is dense," Bonnie exhaled with a shrug of her arms.

"What does  _that_  mean?" Serena asked indignantly. She was  _not_  transparent.

"He'll never figure it out unless you tell him," Bonnie said simply. Serena's mouth hung open, and she almost dropped the dish in her hands, only for Sylveon's feelers to catch it and hand it gracefully off to Pancham. The dumbfounded expression lasted a moment longer.

"I-I have no idea what you're t-talking about," she stammered back to the girl. Bonnie was too smart for her own good, sometimes. Said girl shrugged, like it wasn't any of her business and skipped off to watch Ash and Clemont battle each other. One more sigh left Serena.

"What do you think I should do, guys?" she asked quietly so her other companions couldn't hear her. Pancham, too invested in cleaning dishes, ignored her while Braixen and Sylveon tried to reassure her. None of it settled anything in Serena's mind. However, when all the dishes were done, she sat back in her chair and looked up at the sky. Seeing a flock of Fletchling fly by, Serena smiled to herself.

"Well…let's just see how this week goes, huh? Maybe…maybe something will happen that will be really different."

 _Yes…_ Serena realized to herself.  _Just one step at a time._

* * *

The journey to Ancien City took the better part of the next two days, during which the traveling companions continued to engage one another in conversation as Pikachu and Dedenne consistently ran ahead. Ash, for his part, seemed to grow more and more excited the further they traveled. At one point, he stopped near the top of a hill and spread his arms wide, yelling, "I can't wait until we get there."

"I've never seen Ash so excited for something beyond a gym battle," Serena giggled out. The raven-haired trainer appeared to hear her comment because he turned back with a wide and unabashed grin on his face.

"Of course I am!" he said. "I haven't been in a tournament since Unova."

"Are tournaments really all that exciting?" Bonnie questioned. Serena was slightly inclined to agree with the inquiry, but didn't voice it. She, herself, hadn't always seen the appeal in Pokémon battling…at least until seeing some of the intense gym battles Ash had gone through. Granted, she still wasn't a major battler herself as it never really appealed to  _her_ , but she could see why people like Ash and Clemont enjoyed it so much. However, like Bonnie, she couldn't understand the appeal of a tournament over a straight up gym battle.

"They are," Clemont answered. "Tournaments are a lot like roulette. Unlike a gym battle, which tends to focus on a single typing, you never know what the opposing trainer will pull out."

"It's super exciting!" Ash proclaimed. Pikachu hopped on his shoulder to agree wholeheartedly with his trainer. "You can meet all sorts of people and depending on how the tournament's set up, there's lots of different experiences you can have."

"I take it you've been in a lot of them, then?" Serena asked, picking her stride up just a little to walk alongside Ash. "Have you won any?"

"Sure have. Pokeringer, a major tag battle competition in Sinnoh, and a few others. Not that I've won a league yet, but the experiences you can have doing other tournaments is amazing." Serena certainly thought it sounded impressive as she grinned at Ash. He turned to her and seemed to notice. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, blinking at the question.

"You're just grinning at me, Serena," he said. A new flush rose on Serena's face at the observation. Since when did Ash notice stuff like that? She must have thrown countless grins at him that he'd never commented on before.

"It just struck me what an impressive trainer you are. So many competitions…" Ash chuckled and rubbed his nose.

"Nah, I'm nothing special. I think people like you and my friends May and Dawn are the impressive ones. I tried my hand at stuff like that when I took part in Pokémon contests, but everyone totally outshone me. Battles are my thing, not flashy moves." Serena was about to comment that it wasn't necessarily true when Bonnie suddenly raced ahead of the group.

"We're here! We're here!" she cried out as she reached an upcoming crest of the hill. Ash's smile grew larger and he surged forward to reach the same place that Bonnie was at. Serena wasn't far behind (though Clemont was) and before long they stood at the small outcropping, overlooking Ancien City. It was hard to tell the details from such a distance, but the city looked like an odd blend of old and new. The most prominent features, from what Serena could tell, were what looked to be a castle in the distance and a rather large stadium near the edge of the city. Ash pumped his fist in excitement and began running down the hill, evidently eager to reach the town. Serena stayed for a moment, looking at the layout from up above and feeling excitement bubble in her chest. Knowing that the excitement was about to burst, she took off after Ash down the slope. Bonnie was right alongside her. Clemont, naturally, huffed and puffed along after them.

They reached the city in mere minutes, Ash well ahead of them and busy asking a nearby florist for information on how to register for the tournament.

"You'll need to go to the stadium," she said kindly, her Flabebe handing her a lovely arrangement of tulips. "That's where you register. Just follow the main road and you'll come to it. You may want to hurry. Registration closes this evening."

"Thanks. Let's go, guys!" Ash called to his now approaching companions. He waved to them a final time and set off down the main road. Serena would have wanted to stop and admire the city, but concluded that since they were going to be here for a week, she'd have plenty of time to do so. For now, Ash's impulsivity was more pressing.

"Hurry up, Clemont! We can't wait around forever!" Bonnie called after her brother impatiently.

"But…you all…run so…fast…" Clemont wheezed out. Serena, taking pity on the older brother, slowed down to match pace with him.

"Bonnie, go on ahead with Ash. We'll meet you at the stadium," she said sweetly. Bonnie nodded enthusiastically and took off after the leader of their little troupe. Serena stopped walking and waited for Clemont to catch his breath along with a sip of water. While he did so, Serena watched the milling crowds of the city. Despite not being anywhere near the size of a place like Lumiose, or even other gym cities, the place was positively swarming with residents and trainers. It was obvious just how huge the Kalos Team Tournament was to these people.

"Thanks, Serena…" Clemont gasped out gratefully. Serena smiled down at him.

"Anything for a friend," she said, the two setting off at a much easier pace than the others had. Sneaking a glance at Clemont's sweaty complexion, the girl wondered just how he'd ended up with such a hyperactive little sister like Bonnie. After all, other than their looks, they were like night and day. Not that Serena minded; Clemont was a well-needed oasis of sanity when compared to the ever-inspired Ash and the ever-hyper Bonnie. She loved them all dearly, but sometimes she liked the quiet that Clemont provided, when he wasn't blowing things up. Speaking of, "Why don't you ever just build some sort of rocket shoes that could help you keep pace with us?"

"I tried that once…I slammed into a wall and they flew off my feet and into a ceiling where they exploded," Clemont commented. That seemed typical and Serena laughed at her imagining of the occurrence while they got closer and closer to the stadium. "I'm just not cut out for physical exertion. No wonder Chespin and I are a good fit."

"Chespin's just a big eater," Serena reminded him as the two reached the final stairs that ascended into the stadium. Bonnie was waiting at the top.

"Clemont, you take too long! Ash is already inside," Bonnie pouted. Serena laughed aloud again and took Bonnie into a very small hug. Bonnie had no response and allowed the older girl to lead her inside the reception area of the stadium.

The first thing that struck Serena was how impressive the setup was. It was all old-fashioned, like a coliseum of ancient times. Numerous statues dotted the pillars that seemed to be supporting the ceiling (which, admittedly, looked a little modern). All of them were adorned with Pokémon, mostly dragon types. Serena could see a statue of a Goodra and a Noivern, even some legendary Pokémon from other regions like Zekrom and Reshiram. The most daunting statue was a giant bronze one of Rayquaza that sat behind the reception desk where Ash was. Off to the sides were corridors that likely led off to where the teams would have their waiting rooms. Closer to the receptionist were other corridors that seemed to lead to the audience seating, although it was barred off for the moment. Various security guards were around as well, along with groups of trainers that had their Pokémon out. It seemed to Serena that most of the groups didn't seem to know each other.

"This is my Pokémon, Growlithe. Say hi to our new friends, Growlithe," said a younger trainer in a group.

"Nice to meet you, Peter and Growlithe!" chimed the other trainers in the group. Serena shrugged and continued to meet up with Ash when he gave an unexpected outburst.

"I can't register? !" he said while furiously rubbing at his head with both hands. Pikachu mimicked him.

"What's going on?" Clemont asked and Ash turned to his friends with frustration written all over his face.

"I guess when they say 'team tournament' they mean it," Ash told them dejectedly. "We need to form a team in order to participate."

"Well, that's no problem," Serena pointed out kindly. "We're a team, right? The three of us can register together." Bonnie tried to pipe up that she could take part too, but she was largely ignored.

"Sorry, miss, but teams must register in groups of five. No more and no less," the receptionist said in such a matter-of-fact tone that it caused Ash to despair all over again.

"Can't we register now and come back with a team?' Ash asked desperately but the receptionist smiled and shook her head. Ash sighed again. Clemont put his thumb on his chin and appeared to be thinking. Serena, herself, was thinking about how they could remedy their situation. Ash had been so looking forward to the tournament, but because she had been running on incomplete information, it was looking like they were running out of time to even register and take part at all. She could have kicked herself. How were they going to get two people to join with them in a team, much less help them to win it? Ash may have befriended a number of random people on his journeys, and, judging from the group earlier, people may have just randomly teamed up with one another, but how could that guarantee they'd work well together?

"I've got an idea. Why don't we all split up and go into town to find some new teammates?" Clemont suddenly suggested. Ash looked up at him with hope in his eyes.

"We recommend that," the receptionist finally spoke up, drawing the attention back on her. "We don't normally find teams of trainers that know each other. In fact, only one other group that has registered thus far seemed to display that."

"Well, all right, then! Great idea, Clemont!" Ash cheered emphatically.

"Heh heh, of course! And I have the perfect thing to help me with my search. After all, the future is now thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, on!" From Clemont's backpack, he whipped out what looked to be a scanning device. "With this, Bonnie and I can track down trainers in the northern part of this city that are compatible with our battling styles. I call it the Track Down Similar Trainers Device!"

"That's inventive…" Bonnie drawled. "And I have no idea how that would work."

"Well then, come with me Bonnie and I'll show you!" Bonnie less agreed and was more actually dragged off by her brother towards the entrance to the coliseum.

"Science is so amazing…" Ash breathed out. "Well, let's go buddy. We'll search the square!"

"Pika!" Ash took off once more and Serena realized she was about to stand there all alone. She was about to take off after Ash when she realized a rather unfortunate fact. Knowing so, she took her eyes away from Ash (who was about to run headlong into a teenaged girl) and turned to the receptionist.

"Do you know of a good hotel we could stay at or where the Pokémon Center is?" she asked frantically, not wanting to lose sight of her friends.

"The Pokémon Center is probably filled. However, the Ancien Grand Hotel has plenty of rooms open for trainers along with a state-of-the-art healing facility. You may want to hurry. Most spaces are filling up," the receptionist told her. Serena thanked her gratefully and tore off after Ash and Clemont, hoping to tell them where to meet up before they got too far. As she did so, she didn't look where she was going and almost bumped into the very same trainer that Ash had nearly run into.

"Sorry. I didn't look at where I was going. In a hurry," Serena apologized quickly. The girl stopped and turned to look at her, her short black hair moving along with her brown cloak. There was a brief shimmer underneath the traveling cloak, but it was gone as soon as Serena could set her eyes on it.

"Not a problem," the girl responded coolly. "Good luck in the tournament."

"Yeah…you too, I guess," Serena garbled out. Quickly realizing she had to get moving, Serena bid the girl a hasty farewell and set off after the others, suddenly getting the feeling that this tournament was going to be one to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: It's been a long time since I wrote for the Pokémon fandom, and it feels just a little like a breath of fresh air to return to it. So, please forgive me for this rather lengthy author's note.
> 
> The last you may have known of me, I wrote THE CHOSEN TRILOGY, a rather epic story which included Pokeshipping that in my maturity I realize sucked horribly. However, I keep it up to serve as a reminder of how much I think I've improved since then. Since then, I've delved into Fullmetal Alchemist and Fairy Tail primarily, which is where you'll find most of my stories. I never once thought I'd come back into this. Then I saw XY…and I fell in love. The animation, the storytelling, the characters…Ash's competency level. After BW nearly killed my love for the anime (and, indeed, any interest) XY brought it back. Most particularly, I love Serena; her character design (both of them), her character evolution, and her canonical crush on Ash. It's fanfic fuel right there. So, I shifted to Amourshipping very quickly. Pokeshipping still holds a place in my heart, but I'm not dumb enough to think it will ever be a reality when said girl in question hasn't shown up for over 300 episodes.
> 
> Anyway, all of this gave birth to this story: an Amourshipping story that involved the Kalos Team Tournament. This, too, requires some explanation. Once upon a time, here meaning when Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire came out, I had this brilliant idea of an original Pokémon story which would follow entirely new characters born in Johto and span ten generations of Pokémon in an interconnecting and serious plot. It was going to be epic…and totally impossible to complete in my lifetime. Amongst this great idea was the Kalos Team Tournament, which was to take place in Laverre City and sponsored by the Poke Ball Factory. It was an arc in a larger story. Since that didn't happen, but I really liked my idea (which, you may notice further down the line, bears similarities to another series' tournament) so I transferred it to here and made some changes but otherwise kept it all intact.
> 
> That said (shut up, you're probably thinking by this point) I melded it into an Amourshipping story that I will probably be very happy with when all is said and done. There will be some old characters returning (but not Misty) both from XY and previous generations, but the focus will be on the XY crew. There will also be some OCs, simply because I didn't want the old characters to feel shoehorned in. Lastly, there will be battles. Lots and lots of battles…This may be my most kid-friendly story to date, but that doesn't mean there won't be fighting. (What's a story without conflict, after all?) I've been told I write action well, and I hope that bleeds through into this story.
> 
> Now that I've said all that and talked your ear off, I want you to know that unlike my other stories, this one will not be on a schedule, but as I have it all planned out and I finish all of my stories, no need to worry about waiting months for a single update. Having told you all this, my next chapter's author's note won't be nearly as long. In any case, thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for the following chapters of this Amourshipping fanfic. In the meantime, please leave a Review so I know just what all your lovely (or even not-so-lovely) thoughts are, and remember, Dare to Be Silly.


	2. A Rival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've all made me feel very welcome to this Amourshipping fanfiction community. I hope you will all continue to enjoy this journey with me, continuing in Chapter 2, starting now.

Chapter 2

A Rival

It had been an effort to catch up with Ash and Clemont. It was more difficult to catch up with Ash, considering the speed that he had, but she had pushed herself and managed to deliver the message of where to meet. She just hoped neither of them would forget. With her task accomplished, Serena made her way to the southern part of the city, close to where they had entered from. It was already noontime, which meant that plenty of people were out and about, either doing their daily errands or otherwise preparing for the major tournament that was about to take place.

Serena smiled as she took in all of the sights and sounds of the festival. She was no stranger to festivals in any way. Coming from Vaniville Town, which was small but comfortable, there was always the occasional festival. However, the size of the town meant that most people didn't go all out. There would maybe be a few fireworks and her mom would often show off her Ryhorn racing skills, but other than that, the Vaniville Festival was usually low-key. That made this quite the new experience for her.

"Are you lost, little miss?" called an elderly man with his feet hanging over the edge of a river bank. He looked at complete ease, with his fishing pole in the water, and for a moment, Serena wasn't even sure that he was talking to her considering how peaceful he was. When he turned his head to smile at her, she finally realized that he was, indeed, speaking with her.

"Just taking in the sights," Serena told him jubilantly.

"Ah, yes…it's a lovely town, isn't it? First time here, I presume?" the old man said. Not wanting to make the old man strain his head any more than he had to, Serena moved closer and took a tentative seat next to him. He smiled at the kindness.

"Yes, it is."

"I guess you're here for the tournament, huh?" Serena nodded, not really feeling the need to expound on such a simple fact. "Most kids your age are. It's about the most excitement the city sees in these parts, other than the Draco Festival."

"Draco Festival?" Serena asked, interested in learning about the lore of the town. She usually wasn't one that was in to history or anything like that, but since starting her journey and being in control of the group's map, she'd had many a late night researching a town and its customs. It also helped in her showcases, of course.

"It's around now, actually, when you can clearly see the Draco constellation in the sky…looks a bit like Rayquaza…Hmm…" The elderly man seemed to slip off into some pleasant oblivion of reverie as he thought about whatever it was he was thinking about. Serena waited patiently for him to come back. "Anyway, we hold the Draco Festival on all those other years that we don't hold the Kalos Team Tournament."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Serena said kindly. "Is the town always this excited for the tournament then?"

"Of course! I wonder what kind of teams we'll see this year." The old man gave a rather throaty chortle at the end of this statement. "Most of these kids have only seen one or two in their entire lifetime and the young kiddies haven't seen any. Myself, I've probably seen about nine or so and every time it's an experience." The old man seemed to relax on his fishing rod as he looked up into the sky with a sweet, but stern, expression. When he finished, he turned to Serena with an unmistakable fire in his eyes.

"You never know who you'll get at the Kalos Team Tournament," he said with a passion that reminded her of Ash. "Everyone brings their own motivations into the stadium and everyone walks away with something different. Are they there for experience? Are they there for fun? For passion? Or is it just a small stepping stone on a larger journey? Only something like the Kalos Team Tournament can answer those questions and force trainers to consider what, and who, is most important to them. What about you, young lady?"

"Me? Oh…well…" Serena could only stammer, unable to come with a decent answer to his rather well-thought out question in such a short amount of time. "I…I guess I'm here for As-"

"Aston! There you are!" Serena jumped, fighting down the blush on her face from what she was about to admit and turned to see a young woman with her purple hair tied up in a bun. A clipboard was practically attached to her side as she walked crisply toward the old man. "What are you doing sitting around here, mayor? There's work to be done before tonight's festivities."

"Oh, work, work, work. Life's not all about work, Chrissy," the old man, Aston…or was it the mayor, said. "We have plenty of time before tonight begins, so take it a little easy."

"Honestly, mayor, the only reason you take it so easy is because I do all the work for you," Chrissy responded sharply. Aston looked ashamed, but Serena was fully embarrassed. She had been speaking with the mayor of the town the entire time and hadn't even known it. "Anyway,  _sir_ , our guests have finally arrived, and they're waiting for you to greet them."

"Fine, fine…" Aston grumbled. He placed his fishing rod down and stood, groaning as he got to his feet. Not feeling it was right to let him struggle, Serena stood and helped the older man up. "Thanks, young lass."

"Not at all," Serena insisted. Aston chuckled to himself and patted her on the shoulder.

"All right, then. Guess my break time's over. I wish you luck in the tournament, young miss. I hope we'll meet again." Serena would have offered her own share of goodbyes, but the mayor of the town had already whipped an impressive suit over his otherwise homely clothes and was making off with his assistant. Serena scratched the back of her head out of a sense of embarrassment and then continued along to where she was originally planning to go.

As Serena made her way to the hotel she watched as streamers and banners were being put all over the streets. The main street was decorated with multiple booths, some with food and others with vendors selling their wares. A few items of fashion caught her eye, but she passed them up after only a few moments of observation. Weaving her way through the ever expanding crowd of trainers and other citizens, Serena finally arrived outside the Ancien Grand Hotel, a large hotel building with numerous floors and an assortment of trainers outside it.

Serena pushed through the crowd and into the lobby. If it were even possible, there were  _more_  trainers in the lobby, some of them with their Pokémon out. Sighing to herself, Serena repeated her mantra about never giving up and forged ahead into the crowd. She didn't make it far before she bumped into someone and nearly fell onto the ground. A graceful hand caught her while the trainer she bumped into turned around angrily.

"Watch it, loser!" he snapped, running a hand through his short blond hair, as though she'd messed it up. Serena didn't say anything back, nor did the person holding her steady. After realizing he wouldn't get a response from them, he turned back to his friend, another boy with deep red hair and a scar by his nose.

"Are you all right, miss?' called a deep tone from next to her ear. Serena straightened herself to look at who had helped her. It was an older boy with darker skin and eyes that were practically shut. His hair was spiked up and he was wearing the softest smile that Serena had seen all day.

"Yes. I'm fine. Thanks…" Serena said, hoping that the boy would give his name. He didn't have the chance to, as it seemed he caught sight of something and quickly excused himself. She was okay with that; at least he hadn't been rude like the boy she'd knocked into. A path had cleared to the concierge desk and Serena surged forward, finally managing to make it there before anyone else could. "Hi, I'd like to reserve a room for the week."

"Participant or spectator?" the man at the desk asked. Serena, for a brief moment, wasn't sure how to respond. Of course, they were going to participate, but they hadn't registered. Deciding to go with a future truth, Serena straightened her back.

"Participant," she answered and she watched as the man swiped a keycard through his register.

"Team name, please?" Serena's body clenched, hoping that not being registered wouldn't be their downfall in reserving a room. The concierge seemed to catch sight of this. "I just need a name for the reservation. I'm not running a background check or anything."

"Oh…well, then…um…" Serena cast her mind around for what would make a good name for their team. It didn't need to be anything impressive. That's when she remembered their name at Summer Camp, but all of a sudden it seemed inadequate. Ash's face surfaced in her mind for a brief moment. "Team Ketchum."

"Very well," the man sniffled out. A few seconds later and he handed her a pack of six keycards. "Your suite will be number 800."

"Thanks much," Serena said, holding the cards tightly to her as she walked away. Now, she just had to find some other trainers to be a part of their team. The blonde quickly took a seat on a nearby bench and watched some of the trainers running around. This was probably going to be easier said than done, considering all of the trainers that appeared to be in groups.

"Serena!" cried a sudden familiar voice, and the Pokémon performer turned her head to see who was calling her. She sprung out of her seat once she did.

"Shauna! You're here?" Shauna closed the distance before Serena could move and the two clasped each other's hands in reunion. "I didn't know you'd be in Ancien City."

"I didn't think I would be either, but Tierno and Trevor insisted on coming to the tournament. I can't let my boys down, now can I?" Shauna said with a wink at the end. Serena smiled, feeling a little lighter at having another friend nearby.

"Where are Tierno and Trevor, anyway?" Serena asked. She needn't have bothered when she saw the larger of the two boys come dancing through the crowded lobby of the hotel. He ended in a slide that brought him in front of Serena on one knee.

"Look at you, Serena, looking as gorgeous as ever!" Tierno proclaimed loudly enough for anyone with half a care to pick up on. Serena blushed a little; it was so rare that someone gave her compliments like that. She only wished they could come from Ash. Even if she liked Tierno, his personality was little…off for her. Shauna rolled her eyes from next to her friend as the final member of their trio scampered up to join them.

"Hi, Serena, it's good to see you again," Trevor said with a slight blush of embarrassment, himself. Serena beamed back at him good-naturedly. She liked Trevor; a little shyer than his companions, but just as sweet.

"All right, guys, no need to creep her out," Shauna said teasingly. Tierno straightened back up with a little dance.

"I'm not creeped out, I promise," Serena insisted, waving her hands wildly in front of herself. "So, are you guys here for the tournament?"

"Sure are!" Tierno said confidently. "Already registered and everything."

"Really?" the blonde performer gasped out. They were still two people short and somehow these three had managed to register already. "Where did you find teammates?"

"Outside the coliseum," Shauna told her. "Yeah, there were some foreign trainers that had been exploring the city while they were separated from their group. We struck up a conversation with them."

"More like they were doing some kind of performance with their Pokémon and Shauna went all googly-eyed," Tierno interjected with a slight snigger. Shauna lightly slapped her friend on his rather large arm.

"You weren't complaining!" she snapped at him. Tierno recoiled a little with a light dance step as Trevor sighed. The auburn haired boy stepped forward to speak with Serena in spite of his friends.

"So, where're Ash and Clemont? I half-expected them to be here registering for the tournament, too."

"Unlike you guys, we're still two teammates short of the required five because Bonnie isn't old enough to participate. They're out looking for potential teammates now," Serena explained. "I'm supposed to help, but I wanted to get us a hotel room first."

"That's what we should have done, too," Shauna whined. She also gasped immediately after and tore off for the front desk, presumably to get a room number. Trevor watched her run off with yet another sigh. Tierno, however, turned his gaze back on Serena.

"When do you think Ash will be back? I've got some new moves I want to show him!" he exclaimed emphatically. Serena shrugged in answer; Ash always did as he pleased, and he'd be here when he wanted to be. All she could do for now was wait and try to potentially find people that would join them. She didn't think she'd have much of a shot, especially if the "Summer Camp Trio" had already found two people to round out their team. "So, did you hear about the huge number of teams participating?"

"No, but I'm not surprised. It's a huge event for the region so lots of trainers would come," Serena figured. Trevor was nodding his head sagely, like he was glad that someone was able to figure it out without Tierno explaining everything.

"They're broadcasting it all over the region, too," Trevor finished up. Serena was about to respond to that when Shauna came running back up to them, handing over a few keycards to her friends. For that moment, Serena directed her attention away, thinking about how to find more team members, but decided that she wouldn't find any at the hotel. Most of the trainers there seemed to have already formed teams. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Shauna tugging on her vest.

"Hey, it's been a while since we caught up on Performances and Pokevision," she said with a smile. "Let's chat."

"Sure," Serena replied gratefully. She was sure that Ash and Clemont could handle finding other team members. So, she sat on a nearby bench and began to chat with Shauna, but she kept an eye on the hotel entrance the entire time.

* * *

"Clemont, are you sure this is working?" Bonnie complained for what was likely the fiftieth time since the two siblings had set out on their venture. Clemont sighed in frustration and looked down to his younger sister in exasperation.

"I am using an exact science here, Bonnie, and it takes time," Clemont attempted to explain to his restless sister. She pouted, puffing her cheeks up at him.

"But I'm bored…" she whined, holding both Dedenne and Squishy to her chest. Clemont ignored her this time as his device began beeping and pointing him in a particular direction. This seemed to lighten Bonnie's mood considerably. "A trainer! Wow, your invention works, big brother!"

"Of-of course it does, Bonnie! Don't ever doubt me," Clemont proclaimed proudly. Following the directions that his device was giving him, he followed the arrows towards whatever trainer it was indicating. Though Bonnie had felt the explanation was long and boring as they walked, Clemont had explained to her that he put in the data about their Pokémon teams and was now tracking down those who had similar Pokémon by reading what was in their pokeballs.

By now, the two siblings were approaching a wide open clearing with plenty of trees and other related greenery. Trainers were strolling around the open park, some walking their Furfrou and others just enjoying the general atmosphere while Clemont went on his mad search for a teammate. A few people were having a Pokémon battle in the middle of the park, but the inventor paid them no mind, zeroing on his target which seemed to be laying on a bench under a tree.  _Just a little farther…_ Clemont thought to himself. Then he heard another beep…and another. Soon, arrows were pointing all over his screen in every which direction.

"Oh, no…" he said in a complete deadpan. Of course, this had to happen now. Bonnie looked to anticipate the next event and she flung herself and her Pokémon into a nearby bush when the control panel suddenly blew up in Clemont's face. He coughed. No matter how many times his inventions had failed, he still hated the taste of soot in his mouth…it tasted like failure.

"Are…you alright?" said a feminine voice from the bench. Clemont took his glasses off and cleaned them of the soot before looking over to see the trainer he had been approaching. She looked familiar to him, but Clemont couldn't place it underneath the shadow of the tree. The thing he did notice was her holding out a handkerchief to him, as if offering it to clean the soot off his face. He accepted it gracefully, and managed to clean himself off before handing it back. "Oh, keep it. I've got plenty where that came from."

Finally, Clemont got a good look at the girl underneath the tree. She was older than he was, but probably just by a few years. She was also dressed quite plainly, almost like an undercover journalist looking to uncover her next scoop, highlighted by the large black frames on her face that covered her eyes. The most striking, and familiar, thing about her was her hair: it was a bright vivid pink that was in two rather distinct tails. Clemont could swear he'd seen that kind of hairstyle before. He decided to shrug it off and put the handkerchief in his bag when he stopped and saw it was signed. No…not signed…it was autographed…by Aria.

"Holy…" he began to say when Bonnie suddenly slid down on one knee in front of the girl.

"You're a keeper! Please look after my brother for me!" Bonnie suddenly asked, drawing attention from some of the crowd members around the park. Clemont flushed horribly; so, too, did the girl in front of him, whom the inventor now realized was none other than the Kalos Queen herself. Without hesitation, Clemont extended his Aipom Arm to reach out and grab Bonnie.

"Bonnie, I've told you to stop this a million times! This is so embarrassing!" he almost yelled, dragging her back with as much speed as his Aipom Arm could muster.

"Just think about it, okay?" Bonnie cheered, eliciting a giggle from Aria.

"I'm so sorry, Your Maj-I mean Miss Aria," Clemont jabbered out. Bonnie looked to him in absolute shock; she clearly hadn't figured out the older girl's identity. Aria herself raised a finger to shush them both.

"It's okay," she said quietly, like she didn't want anyone else to hear her. "It's Ariana, by the way. If the press gets wind that I'm here, they'll never let me off the hook…and it's not often I have someone's sister proposing to me."

"Why are you here?" Bonnie asked, having thankfully dropped her previous type of discourse with the Kalos Queen. "Don't you have Kalos Queen stuff to do?"

"Even queens need breaks," Aria said with a huff, as if it explained everything. "Truth be told, Monsieur Pierre is a guest at the tournament and I just tagged along. I thought it would be a fun experience to perform as Ariana without all the added pressure, so no spilling the beans, all right."

"Yes, ma'am!" Bonnie saluted. Dedenne copied her at the same time. Clemont wasn't sure if Squishy would have copied her if it wanted to since it didn't have arms. Hearing Aria's story, Clemont fought down his embarrassment at Bonnie's earlier inquiry to ask a question of his own.

"So, does that mean you'll be taking part in the tournament?" he asked, feeling just a little flushed. It wasn't that he had a crush on the Kalos Queen or anything. It was more that he felt star-struck being in the presence of such a celebrity.

"Yes, I will," Aria confirmed with a little wink.

"Do you have a team?" Bonnie asked sweetly, still hanging back and forth from the Aipom Arm. Noticing this, Clemont set her back down on the ground.

"I do. I met a sweet group of girls who were looking for team members and we all joined up." Bonnie and Clemont both hung their heads in defeat. "I'm sorry, were you looking for teammates?"

"We were," Clemont responded dejectedly. "I guess it's back to searching for us."

"Oh…Well, good luck. I'll see you guys in the tournament." Before Clemont could amble back in the opposite direction, Aria leaned forward and Clemont felt beyond mortified at feeling her hot breath on his ear, reminding him distinctly of her Delphox. "Tell Serena I said hi."

"W-will do, ma'am." Just like that, Clemont had taken off in the opposite direction, faster than he had ever gone before. Bonnie ran after him, doubtless surprised by her brother's sudden burst of speed. For his part, Clemont's heart was racing at having been so close to the Kalos Queen. He wasn't deep into the world of fashion or Pokevision or Pokémon Showcases, but it was enough to feel far too excited in the presence of such an idol.

"That was fast, Clemont," Bonnie teased him. "What had you moving in such a hurry?"

"Um…uh…" Clemont tried to figure out how to answer his sister when he realized something. Aria owned a Delphox…and Serena owned a Braixen. Two Pokémon of the same evolutionary line. In other words, "My invention worked! If I just make a couple tweaks here and there, it'll be perfect! Come on Bonnie, we're heading to the hotel!"

Bonnie had no say in the matter otherwise.

* * *

Meanwhile. Ash and Pikachu were busy strolling through Ancien City and taking in the sights of everyone preparing for the tournament. Of course, they  _should_  have been finding people to compete in the tournament with them, but Ash was too entranced with the sights of the city to even think that far ahead.

"I wonder if Serena is seeing all this?" Ash asked of his partner. Pikachu replied with a shrug, hopping off Ash's shoulder to run to a nearby food stall where a man was selling his goods dressed in a giant bottle of ketchup. Ash ran over to the guy, who was peering down at Pikachu with the most hilarious look on his face. "He likes ketchup."

"Oh, then here," the guy said with a laugh. He reached behind the booth and pulled out about twenty ketchup packets. Pikachu cheered as Ash took them and put them in his bag, leaving enough out for his best buddy. "Hope you enjoy our wonderful city!"

"Thanks!" Ash called out. Pikachu returned to his shoulder and the duo returned their journey to the square. While he did, he continued to stare aimlessly at the decorations being put up. They were kind of pretty, and that wasn't a word that Ash would use to describe most of anything. They did remind him a little bit of Serena, though, and he felt kind of bad that he'd left her behind at the coliseum. It probably would have been easier if they had traveled in a pair. However, realizing things in hindsight tended to always be Ash's strong suit, so he shrugged off the complication and ran forward into the square.

If the town could be described as fabulous before, then the square was nothing short of magnificent. Streamers were draped all over the lampposts and roof awnings. Tied to those streamers were balloons of every conceivable color. Perhaps the most impressive thing in the entire square was the large meteorite in the center, and the even larger man (from Ash's perspective) that was standing right next to it. Others seemed to be giving the large man a wide berth, but Ash didn't care about any of that and he ran gleefully towards the meteorite. As he got closer, he saw that it was more of a monument, surrounded and inlaid with little golden figurines of all manner of dragon Pokémon.

"This is so cool!" Ash exclaimed. He reached out and placed a hand on the meteorite, his face getting perhaps just a little too close for comfort. "Do you see this, Pikachu? It's like it's glowing."

"Pikachu!" the yellow mouse cried gleefully. The man next to them turned just a little to look down at Ash. Ash noticed the shifting of the shadow and turned to the man with a slightly confused expression.

"That Pikachu…he is your friend?" the man asked.

"Of course he is," Ash answered without hesitation. "After everything we've been through, he's my very best buddy." The man continued to stare at Ash.

"That's good," the man mumbled. This just drew a further look of confusion from Ash. "You'll need it…brave trainer."

"Huh?" Ash was completely confused by this point. He wasn't sure if the man in front of him was speaking in riddles or was just plain confused. It seemed to matter little, for he turned away and the hulking man began to lumber off, continuing to mutter what sounded like a Pokémon's name that Ash was unable to make out. All it left was a feeling of even more confusion. "That was weird…"

"Pika…" his partner agreed. Ash just decided to shrug and laugh it off, but before he could do so, he caught sight of a great castle in the distance that the man's tremendous physique had been concealing before. It was still a far way off and at the top of a hill, but even from here Ash was impressed by the architecture.

"Look at that castle, Pikachu!" Pikachu joined him by sitting atop his head to get a better view. For a moment, Ash actually contemplated going there, but figured that it was best for him to stay in the city and continue to look for trainers, despite having not been successful so far.

"They say that there's a meteorite almost identical to this one in the castle on the top of the hill," a new voice said. Ash tried looking around, but couldn't find the source of the voice. "Apparently, on a clear, moonless night, when the Draco constellation is in the sky, the two meteorites form a link to an alternate dimension which is then opened by the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, who is summoned here by the meteorite's energy."

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked, now realizing that the voice was coming from the other side of the giant meteorite. He started circling around it.

"And when the rift opens up, one can find the Pokémon Jirachi inside and is allowed to make one wish. Of course, this is all just legend passed down from a single occurrence three thousand years ago. I guess that would make the reporting inaccurate since it was at the time of a major war, right Ashy-boy?"

Ash froze, having finally caught sight of the trainer who was narrating the legend to him. For a moment, his expression was that of having been clubbed over the head, until a wide grin stretched his face. "Gary!"

"Hey, there. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Gary Oak said, his hand held up in a wave. Ash ran forward and clasped Gary's hand in his own. The grandson of Professor Oak was unchanged from the last time Ash had seen him in Sinnoh. He was still thin, with his brown hair styled in every which direction possible. He was even wearing the same clothes, Ash happened to note, though that was hardly unusual.

"What are you doing here? And what are you doing  _here_?" Ash asked, surprise overriding every other one of his senses. Gary took a step back from their handshake to lean casually on the meteorite.

"I'm here for research, of course," Gary said, as though it were obvious. "Gramps sent me to see how far Professor Sycamore has come on Mega Evolution. Usually I'd have my own stuff to complete, but I was pressured into it by some mutual acquaintances."

"Mutual acquaintances?" Ash asked.

Gary just gave him a little smirk that told him his lips were sealed. "Anyway, we traveled to the Kalos region and since gramps mentioned you were here we decided to see if there was a way we could track you down. Soon as we heard about the Kalos Team Tournament, we knew you'd be heading straight here. That called for a detour. How've you been, Pikachu?"

"Pi chu chu," Pikachu responded, still nibbling on one of his ketchup packets. Ash, however, wasn't about to let Gary's ambiguous comments go.

"What do you mean 'we'?" he asked, displaying his usual persistence and stubbornness.

"I mean me and our mutual acquaintances."

"Gary, don't play around. You know I don't understand hints like that!"

"He means me, Ash." This time the voice came from behind him, causing Ash to whip around and catch sight of someone he hadn't seen in a long time. "Good to see you."

"Brock? Is that seriously you?" Ash asked, the surprise translating to numbness in his body. Standing before him was his greatest friend, well, other than Pikachu. He, like Gary before him, looked no different than when they had traveled together other than carrying a distinct air of maturity that Ash never noticed before. "I…I thought you were training to become a doctor."

"And I still am," Brock told him with a gleaming smile. "There's a regional Pokémon Doctors Conference, and when I heard Gary was coming to Kalos, I decided to extend my trip by an extra week to meet up with him and see if we could catch you. I heard about the Unova League from your mom. Sorry, man."

"It's…it's okay. I've already gotten seven Kalos Gym Badges, and I have a feeling I'll win this league for sure," Ash said excitedly. He walked forward and grasped Brock's hand, pulling the older boy into a hug. "Man, it's been so long since I've seen both of you. What are the odds?"

"Astronomical," Gary snickered out. Brock withdrew from his friend and began scratching Pikachu's chin, which the electric Pokémon seemed to enjoy immensely.

"Looks like you're taking good care of Pikachu. And I'm sure you've caught a lot of Kalos Pokémon, huh?" Brock questioned. Ash remained still while Brock seemed to examine Pikachu in the way that only a doctor would. "You two traveling alone?"

"Nah. I've got some friends I'm traveling with," Ash informed them. "We're all supposed to meet up at the Grand Ancien, or something like that."

"Yeah, we tried to book rooms there, but it turns out you need to plan on registering for the tournament or pay a spectator's fee." Ash blinked at Gary's mention of the tournament before his eyes started shifting between the two in rapid succession. Brock was the first one to catch on to it, his face carrying an inquiring frown. Ash felt a sudden stroke of genius enter his brain and he grinned widely.

"You guys wanna be a part of the tournament? Turns out we need five members, but we only have three," Ash told them, hoping that they would agree to take part in it. Maybe neither had taken part in a tournament recently, but Ash knew he could rely on his old friends more than any stranger. He could only hope that Serena would see it the same way. No, wait, that Serena  _and_  Clemont could see it the same way. He chuckled nervously, ashamed that he'd almost forgotten Clemont. Brock looked at Gary with a question in his closed eyes. Gary shrugged like it didn't matter to him. "Come on, it would be great to have a Pokémon doctor on our team, and we could catch up. It'll be like old times."

"I don't see the harm in it," Gary admitted. "I haven't battled in quite a while, so it'll be nice to get the blood pumping again."

"Then I guess we're in," Brock finished, fist bumping with Ash in his triumph.

"Great! I'm sure the others will love you guys. Let's head back to the hotel!" Ash said…and he promptly started heading the other way until Brock grabbed him and pulled him back, pointing in the direction he should have been going. Ash laughed sheepishly while Pikachu facepalmed. "I'm glad you guys tried to find me. I haven't seen any of the old gang since Dawn left Unova, and that was a while ago."

"Dawn, huh?" Brock asked, a smile playing on his face. "Say, Ash, what are these new travel companions of yours like?"

"Huh? Oh, they're great!" Ash shouted, drawing a little attention to himself but ignoring it. "Clemont's a genius inventor. I never knew science was so amazing until I met him. His little sister Bonnie is pretty cool, too. She reminds me of me when I was younger. And Serena…well, why don't you just meet them?"

Ash sped up, leading his old friends as fast as he could toward the Ancien Grand Hotel. Inside, his heartrate had increased. It wasn't that he didn't want to praise Serena for all that she was worth, but more that he felt there were no words to really describe Serena in a way that would do her justice. Words like "kind", "determined", and "cute" didn't make the cut.  _Wait, cute…well, it's not like it isn't true_. Truthfully, the only way to describe Serena after all the support she'd given him and vice versa was by having a person actually see her in the flesh. It made him all the more excited to cross over the threshold of the hotel doors. Even amidst the crowd, it wasn't hard to catch sight of Serena's hat.

"Hey, Serena!" Ash called out. The blonde girl turned her head and gave off a gigawatt smile to Ash. As he approached with Brock and Gary behind him, he saw that Serena was conversing with Shauna and Tierno while Bonnie and Trevor were taking pictures of Clemont working on an invention. Tierno instantly sprung out of his chair at the sight of Ash.

"What's up, Ash? I knew you'd be taking a part in the tournament!" he said, giving Ash a proper fistbump as greeting. Ash grinned at his rival.

"Of course I am! You know I'd never pass up a chance like this. I take it you guys are competing, too?" he asked. Clemont, Trevor and Bonnie looked away from the invention Clemont was working on to watch the conversation.

"Already registered and everything," the dancer responded gleefully. "We're totally ready to kick some butt at this competition."

"Well, all right then," Ash said with an even wider grin than before. "I'll look forward to facing off against your team."

"Ash, we don't have a team yet," Clemont attempted to remind him.

"Oh, right. I've already solved that," the raven-haired trainer insisted. He stepped aside and revealed the presence of both Brock and Gary to the group. Serena instantly stood from her chair at the sight of them, as if she recognized both of them.

"You…" she said in surprise. "You're the guy who helped me earlier!"

"So I am," Brock chuckled out. "I'm surprised to see that you're one of Ash's traveling companions. You must be Serena. I'm Brock."

"Oh, the former Pewter City Gym Leader turned doctor?" Clemont asked in genuine excitement. He, too, stood up and walked over to shake Brock's hand. "It's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm Clemont and this is my sister Bonnie."

"Nice to meet ya! This is Dedenne and Squishy!" Bonnie introduced herself. Brock bent down at Bonnie's level and began checking both of her Pokémon out while Serena turned to Gary.

"You look familiar to me, too…" she mused thoughtfully. After a few seconds, she had figured it out. "That's right! You were at the summer camp with Ash and I during our childhood."

"I should hope so…" Gary chortled out. "Professor Oak is my grandfather, after all. Though, I admit that I don't quite remember you. In any case, I'm Gary. Good to meet you all."

"Gary and Brock agreed to be part of our team for the tournament," Ash said gleefully. This statement seemed to excite both Clemont and Serena, who were happy that Ash had managed to find them team members. Ash continued grinning, just a little pleased with himself and Pikachu was mimicking his trainer's actions. Gary stepped over a little and flung an arm around Ash.

"Yeah, I owe Ashy-boy a favor for helping me out back in Sinnoh," Gary insisted.

"When did I do that?" Ash asked, genuinely confused. Gary was usually helping him out these days, so hearing that Gary owed  _him_  a favor didn't make any sense. Gary wasn't one to tell either and continued flashing his taunting smirk that he had perfected over the years. Serena started giggling at the sight of the two boys.

"Oh, Ash, you don't exactly have the best memory," Serena reminded him. "You didn't exactly remember me, either?"

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago." Serena continued laughing, and while Ash didn't like that she was making fun of him, he knew that it was all in good fun and started laughing alongside her. It was true, after all. He had an abysmal memory when it came to things that weren't Pokémon battling strategies. He still felt kind of bad that he hadn't remembered Serena when she had asked him. "Well, I wouldn't forget you now. I'll always remember you."

"That sounds really sweet," Shauna said from the table Serena had previously been sitting at. For her part, Serena had clasped her hands on her chest and sighed.

"So, you're Ash Ketchum, are you?" Gary let go of Ash in time for the young trainer to turn around and see who was addressing him. It was a boy, roughly his age, with short blond hair and a nasty smirk on his face. Behind him was another trainer with red hair, but Ash couldn't distinguish the rest of his features.

"Yeah, I am. Who are you?" he asked defensively. Something about the way this boy had asked his name was unpleasant. The boy walked forward, the smirk still playing on his lips, a light, yet menacing, chuckle escaping from them.

"I'm Seamus," he answered. As he did so, Seamus raised his chin, as though he were looking down at him. "He's Travis."

"Okay…so, how do you know who I am?"

"Everyone knows," Seamus said cryptically. "You're the one who couldn't win the Sinnoh League, and only placed top eight in the Unova League. I'm surprised you even consider showing your face after all the leagues you've lost, on television no less."

"What did you say? !"

"Pika pika chu!"

"Seamus, stop wasting your time," the one named Travis said. He had moved a little closer now, scratching the scar on the bridge of his nose. "Trainers like this aren't even worth associating with."

"Oh, don't be like that, Travis," Seamus insisted, throwing a smirk to his friend…or, that was what Ash assumed they were. "I just wanted to meet a supposed living legend in the flesh. Judging from the way he acts though, it's pretty obvious he's all just talk. Look at the losers he associates with."

"Don't talk about Ash that way!" Serena suddenly piped up. Her declaration rang out across the entire hotel lobby which had grown somewhat quiet since Seamus had approached them. It was particularly heard amongst their group of friends, all of whom had not said a single word since Seamus had begun to antagonize Ash. Even Ash himself couldn't get a word out, the anger at being called a loser vibrating through his entire body. "He's a great trainer. Not everybody can even make it to that point in the league."

"Yeah, but everybody can lose, just like him," Seamus insisted. "Doesn't matter. The guy doesn't even own a Raichu, and he travels around with a loser like you, or did we already forget that little incident from earlier in the day."

"My Pikachu is as strong as any Raichu," Ash finally snapped out. "And don't talk to Serena that way!"

"Hmph, isn't that sweet?" Seamus sniggered out, turning to Travis as if asking for support. Travis didn't say anything, but had a smirk of his own on his face that suggested he agreed. "Oh, well. I just wanted to meet you after all the things I had heard, but now I see that you're a run-of-the-mill trainer. Too bad…I was looking forward to squaring off with you in the arena."

"Let's go, Seamus. The others are waiting." Seamus cocked his head, along with his shoulders, and joined Travis in retreating from the near seething group. He offered one last taunting smirk before he was gone. Ash's fists clenched. He hated it when people talked down to him like that; thinking they were better because they'd watched him fail, or because not all of his Pokémon were fully evolved. It was sickening, and brought a sharp reminder to Ash of not only his failures, but of his many encounters with Paul back in the Sinnoh region. Of course, even from that brief encounter, Ash could tell that Paul was very different from these guys. Paul, at least, had changed.

"Don't worry about those losers, Ashy-boy," Gary said with a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ash turned to him.

"I-I know that," Ash countered. "Serena, are you okay? They sounded pretty nasty to you."

"It's fine…I never thought I'd run into them again. I mean, it was such a random encounter," she said, clearly remembering some earlier encounter she'd had with them. Ash continued to stare at her, as if that would help him to discern that she truly was okay. When no one else seemed to say anything, and Ash continued staring, Brock finally stood from where he had been crouching.

"You know, if you want to prove them wrong, there's only one way to do it," he said with his own smirk on his face. Ash finally turned and looked at his older friend. The answer was obvious, even to Ash.

"Right. Let's win this tournament." Ash put his hand out and Brock immediately joined in. Soon after, Serena, Clemont, Gary, Bonnie and their Pokémon all joined in. Even Tierno, Shauna and Trevor joined in, despite being on different teams. They all threw their hands up right after they'd all joined in.

"Yeah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This chapter got away from me. I didn't think it would be as long as it did, but with introducing the characters naturally, it had to happen. I also got a huge kick-start on the plot, if you can see where. Anyway, the tournament will finally begin next chapter, and I hope that you're all looking forward to it. For the record, Seamus and Travis are OCs, because I needed great antagonists and while I loved Paul as a rival, he just wouldn't be the right brand of nasty I needed for the tournament. Also, I am not shipping Clemont and Aria; his reaction was more of meeting a famous person by random chance.
> 
> Thanks to all of you for your kinds words and reviews. I hope my readership will only continue to grow as I continue the story. So, until next time, please do Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	3. A Preliminary

Chapter 3

A Preliminary

"Registration confirmed," the receptionist said, showing a screen to the five trainers (technically six) that had finally finished registering for the tournament. Ash pumped his fist in victory while the others all cheered a little. Shauna, Tierno and Trevor had decided to return to their own room and meet up with their teammates while the new team went to register.

"This is so cool!" Bonnie cheered, jumping up and down. "I can't wait to see you all compete!"

"Excuse me, but there are a few quick points I need to run over before you're fully ready for the tournament," the receptionist called back to them. She didn't seem annoyed, but she did appear rather detached, like she'd witnessed this time and time again within the last twenty-four hours. Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Pikachu did the same and the two looked back at her. Serena couldn't help her giggles at it.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said with a very nervous chuckle. The receptionist sighed, but smiled at him all the same.

"To confirm, your registered team name is Team Ketchum," she reiterated for them. Serena felt herself blush as Bonnie elbowed her near her hip.

"I wonder who chose that name…" the little girl teased under her breath. None of the others heard her; nor did they see Serena's flushed face (and she was very grateful).

"Your registered participants are Ash Ketchum, Clemont, Serena, Brock and Gary Oak, correct?" Each one of them nodded, though Serena did want to point out that they'd just put their names down less than five minutes ago. "The rules for the tournament are simple. Over the course of the first four days, all five trainers must participate at least twice. This will be further explained when the tournament proper begins. Furthermore, you are allowed to use any Pokémon you own excluding a select few. Here's the list."

The receptionist handed the list off to Clemont, who did look the most apt to actually read it. Brock and Gary leaned over the inventor's shoulder in order to read the contents of the list. Serena, meanwhile, moved a little closer to Ash in order to listen to whatever other rules she was going to dish out. He flashed a very quick grin in her direction, causing her heartbeat to speed up just a little bit.

"One final rule is that tonight, being the eve before the tournament, all participants are required to be in their reserved rooms at midnight."

"Midnight?" Serena voiced aloud, drawing the attention of the rest of the team. "That's pretty specific. Is there a specific reason why?"

"You'll see…" the receptionist answered teasingly with a wink at the end. Serena frowned, disliking such an ambiguous answer until she felt Ash heartily thumping her on the back.

"Don't worry about it, Serena. No matter what it is, we'll figure it out as a team. Right, buddy?" Pikachu looked at Serena and shared the same convictions as his trainer. That made Serena feel quite the bit better about it. "All right! Let's go, guys! We'll be number one!"

"Pi Pikachu!" the electric mouse cheered outward. Suddenly, Ash's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Um…first, maybe we can get some dinner…" Ash chuckled out. Brock shook his head.

"Same old Ash…" he laughed. Serena then watched as the two old friends began to bicker (which was more of a heated discussion) over each other's habits. They were moving at the same time in the direction of the hotel. Bonnie was skipping after them, asking Gary all sorts of questions about the Pokémon he researched. She was even showing off Squishy. This led Serena and Clemont to bring up the rear.

"Ash's old friends are certainly a lively bunch, huh?" Clemont chuckled out to her. Serena continued watching the animated pair of Ash and Brock, not even really hearing Clemont's question until he cleared his throat to bring her back to reality.

"Are you that surprised?" Serena laughed out gaily. "I mean, we're not exactly the most stoic bunch, Clemont."

"How true…" he conceded. "I think I'll ask Brock for some cooking tips. He's the one that Ash mentioned as being a phenomenal cook, right?"

"Mmm," Serena confirmed and the inventor picked up the pace a little to step in stride with Brock and Ash. This left Serena to bring up the rear all alone, but she didn't mind, because it allowed her to gather her thoughts back together while she watched their figures from behind. It was nice to see Ash so happy. He had talked often about his old friends, though he was never so rude as to bring it up randomly in question when it didn't apply. Mostly, Ash had told her all about his previous traveling companions on starlit nights when neither of them could sleep (which actually happened more often than one would think). He'd talk about his adventures and his friends and all their special moments. Sometimes, Serena could admit to feeling a little jealous of the admiration with which the boy could speak of his previous female companions, but she brushed it aside because his stories were simply that entertaining.

However, at the same time, hearing about all those travels reminded Serena just how  _new_  to the whole traveling thing she was. In some part, it made her feel inadequate, like she was so behind Ash. He had taken strides in his adventure and she just couldn't measure up. Even now, with a very small pout on her face, she realized that she was still staring at his back. His broad, muscular,  _manly_  back. Serena swallowed at her thoughts and pushed them away. His back was a nice thing to look at…but she really wanted to stand  _beside_  him.

"Hey, Serena, Ash tells me that you're a Pokémon Performer," Brock called to her, drawing her attention. The front trio appeared to have stopped moving forward in order for her to catch up. She hadn't realized just how far behind she had fallen. "I have no idea what that is, and I'd love to know more."

"Well, Pokémon Performing is like…how do I put it…a pageant," Serena began, coming to stand next to Ash and Brock as they set off again.  _This feels nice…being side by side._  Feeling a little more confident, Serena went on explaining just what Pokémon Showcases were to the Pokémon doctor. He listened rather graciously and maturely and their conversation continued on through dinner and well into the evening. Brock and Gary shared embarrassing stories about Ash while Ash doled out equally embarrassing stories about the other two, some of which were proven true when an older female security guard passed by their table on her rounds.

"Miss, I'm afraid you've stolen something from our table," Brock said to the security guard. Said woman turned to him with a puzzled expression. Ash just rolled his eyes and bit into his bread slice. "You see, you've stolen my he-"

"Croagunk!" Brock's apparent declaration ended when his Pokémon, one that Serena could admit to never having seen before, jabbed him in the stomach. The doctor keeled over in his chair as Croagunk, which Serena looked up in her Pokédex immediately, dragged his unfortunate trainer back to their suite.

"Good ol' Brock," Ash laughed out. "I'm surprised he hasn't hit on Nurse Joy yet."

"Ooh, maybe Nurse Joy would be a good keeper for Clemont!" Bonnie exclaimed, reaching for a dessert on the table. Clemont started panicking, his glasses nearly sliding off his face.

"Don't do that, Bonnie. I'm perfectly capable of finding a wife on my own. And I'm far too young for that!" Bonnie shrugged, like Clemont's protests didn't mean a thing to her. Her dessert was halfway to her mouth when the blonde girl gasped loudly.

"That's right! I didn't tell you guys, but today in the park, Clemont met-"

"Okay, time for Bonnie's bedtime!"

"What? That's not true," Bonnie complained. Before she had the chance to say anything else that could potentially be embarrassing to her older brother, Clemont extended his Aipom Arm and began to carry her away, leaving Ash and Serena in fits of laughter. Gary watched them go with a look akin to confusion, not being used to the siblings' antics.

"Well, I've gotta use the bathroom. Be back in a bit!" Ash claimed moments after the two left and he dashed off with Pikachu trailing after him. Serena, now being alone with Gary, cut deftly into the slice of cake on her plate and began to chew it slowly.

"So…you like Ashy-boy?" Serena nearly choked on her cake as it went down, gratefully taking the glass of water from the Pokémon researcher to help it go down.

"How…how did you know?" Serena gasped out, not even bothering to deny the fact when Ash wasn't around, especially with the one boy who had known him far longer than she did.

"Not that hard to tell," he commented. "I couldn't tell you what he feels, though. Ash has always had a one-track mind, even when we were little."

"Oh, that's okay," Serena assured him with a wave of her hands. "I know that Ash is focused on his journey, and I admire that about him. Besides, I don't think I could ever have the courage to actually confess to him."

"Even if you had the perfect opportunity?" Gary asked. That forced Serena to start thinking. If she had a perfect opportunity, would she confess to Ash? And even if she did, what would it even lead to? After hearing all the stories from past regions, it was obvious what was going to happen in the future. Ash would reach the end of his adventure in Kalos, and then he'd head on to another region, leaving her behind. Confessing to him wouldn't change that, and she wouldn't want to change that about him. "It's none of my business, anyway. Though I wouldn't wait forever."

"Trust me, I know," Serena agreed with him despondently. "I'm just…I think we're moving forward, one step at a time."

"Just make sure they're not baby steps," Gary said seriously. Before Serena had a chance to ask him just what he meant by that, Ash returned from the restroom and the conversation returned to a more humorous fare. In the back of her mind, however, Serena's "predicament" with Ash continued to plague her thoughts, unsure about what she should do. Deep inside, her feelings for Ash always felt like they were about to burst. Most days she could ignore it and just enjoy the whirlwind of a journey they were on. Other days, she wanted to scream at Ash that she was in love with him. But that would be selfish, she realized. It would distract him unnecessarily and take away from his journey.

"Hey, you all right, Serena?" Ash asked. Serena felt Ash's comforting and reassuring hand on her shoulder, transferring a certain amount of warmth through her body.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about things," she answered him. Ash smiled, as if he understood what was on her mind. She certainly hoped not.

"Me, too! I'm really excited for this tournament…though I definitely don't care if we run into those guys from earlier again," he said, an unattractive and uncharacteristic scowl spreading on his face. To Serena, it just made her full of righteous indignation.

"I know! They were so rude to you," Serena snapped, like there was actually someone to snap to. "But I know that if we face off against them again, you'll show them what a great trainer you are."

"You too, Serena!" Ash insisted. Gary sighed from his seat while he stood.

"Simmer down, you two," he instructed them. "If you're so fired up on winning this tournament, then maybe we should get some sleep so we can compete at our best."

"Definitely." Since Ash seemed to have given the word, the trainers returned to their suite. Of course, it was the first time that Serena or any of them were actually seeing the room, and she was surprised at how modern and  _fancy_  it looked, given the layout of the rest of the town. Brock was awake and sitting in bed, looking over a large book entitled "Pokémon Species and Their Ailments". He looked so intently focused on reading and taking notes that none of the entering trio felt like it was appropriate to bother him. Bonnie was already asleep in Clemont's bed, while the older brother was tinkering with a smaller invention. He greeted them all, but considering his greeting was laced with yawn, it spoke to how tired he was. Gary took the bathroom first to change, with Ash going next. Serena finished the group off with a nice shower that helped her to forget about some of the day's events.

It was only as the clock in the room began to tick in the silence and the darkness, lulling them to sleep, that Serena realized she hadn't seen Shauna and the others once for the rest of the evening. It didn't bother her too much, and Serena turned into a pleasant sleep, dragged into slumber by the surprisingly rhythmic breathing of Ash that could be heard through the room.

That comfort only lasted until midnight.

The first sign that something strange was going on was the shake, causing Bonnie to awake. When the shaking increased, Bonnie seemed to turn over in her bed to awaken her brother. At the same time, Serena got up, rubbing her eyes in utter confusion. Ash was the last to awake, but was the first to actually spring up out of bed and run to the window of their room.

"That's weird…" he said with a yawn. "It looks like we're kind of detached from the hotel."

"Don't be stupid, Ash, you're just dreaming," Gary mumbled, turning over in his bed. Ash cast him a disparaging look, but started returning to his bed anyway. Then there was one final shake and everything went quiet…before the window to their room suddenly opened up and cool blast of breeze floated into the room. Serena drew her blankets around herself as she stared out of the now completely retracted window and into the square of Ancien City.

"Umm…what are we doing in the square?" Serena asked, finally realizing just what felt so off about this whole situation. Ash stopped his advance towards his bed and ran straight for the exterior of the room.

"Whoa…" Hearing the absolute shock in Ash's voice made Serena spring out of her own bed and join him outside. Her mouth practically fell open. They  _were_  in the square, and from where they were, Serena could see the exterior of the Ancien Grand Hotel…on the other side of the city. Only, it looked weird, like almost all the rooms were detached from the hotel itself, leaving nothing but an exoskeleton that ran upwards until it revealed the face of a clock that was chiming midnight.

"This must be a part of the competition," Brock announced, already dressing in his traveling clothes. Serena ran back inside, deciding to take after Brock's example by throwing her own clothes on over her pajamas. She grabbed her backpack and Pokémon as well, stopping to nab Ash's things when she ran outside. Clemont, Bonnie, and Gary weren't far behind, though Clemont didn't stop just outside; he ended up shifting around what was once their hotel room, examining the structure.

"Impressive…it's like it was built to detach from the hotel at a moment's notice. It must have been designed for the purpose of the tournament. I'd love some time to look at the design specs," Clemont observed when he returned to the group. Ash zipped his jacket up as Serena straightened her hat and the two ran a little more forward into the square together. Serena was the first to notice that the same phenomenon had happened all over town.

"Greetings trainers!" boomed a familiar voice to Serena's ears. Suddenly, giant screens that had blended into the surface of the town during the day lit up with an elderly face: Aston the mayor. Serena's eyes widened; this town wasn't just a blast from the past combined with modern convenience. It was a town that had been revamped to serve as the center of the Kalos Team Tournament, and everything was leading into that. "That's right, take the time to wake yourselves up.

"Welcome to the preliminaries of the Kalos Team Tournament!" he called cheerily. "We've had an impressive turnout this year. More than seventy teams have signed up to take part in the Kalos Team Tournament, which is over three hundred and fifty trainers. Quite honestly, that's an awful lot, so the organizers have set up this preliminary competition to whittle down that number to a meager six teams to take part in the Tournament proper."

"Talk about culling the herd," Brock said with his arms crossed across his chest. Other trainers seemed to feel the same way, considering the loud murmur that could be heard even over the ringing bells of midnight.

"I know this must frustrate you, but this is the easiest way to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable tournament this year. So, without further ado, I present the Ancien-Kalos Team Tournament's Orienteering Competition!" Suddenly, all the lights that had been hung around the city burst on, bathing the streets in such a collection of colors and light that it was practically blinding. Serena had to tip her hat down just a bit to avoid the glare off the paved streets. "The rules of this competition are simple: each trainer on each team is allowed the use of one Pokémon to aid them in their search around town for five stations to get their team's keycards scanned. Each team's progress will be monitored by Fletchinder Cam to make sure they adhere to the rules, and the first six teams to reach all five stations and get to the coliseum will be participating."

"Sounds easy enough to me," Ash said with an enthusiastic fist pump.

"Oh, and one more rule…" the mayor said, a wide and toothy grin splitting his face. "You're allowed to interfere with any and all teams you encounter. Good luck! You can start at the Hyper Beam."

Not a second passed when said Hyper Beam was fired up in the air. Serena took a look at where it was coming from and Gary managed to comment on it before she had the chance to. "Looks like that's where the stadium is. We should keep that in mind."

"Then let's get started. Talonflame, I choose you!" Ash cried, tossing a pokeball into the air, from which his Talonflame emerged. "Talonflame, fly around the city and find the stations that we need to visit, but be careful of other trainers' Pokémon."

"Flame!" Talonflame screeched before tearing off.

"Let's get moving, guys!" Bonnie instructed, prompting Clemont to turn to his little sister.

"Bonnie, you have to stay here, otherwise we'll be disqualified," he told her. This news seemed to upset Bonnie.

"But I wanna go with all of you!"

"Don't worry, Bonnie, you'll be able to see the rest of the tournament with us," Serena assured the little girl. Bonnie still didn't look happy. Clemont sighed and threw one of his pokeballs in the air, Bunnelby emerging from it.

"Bunnelby, look after Bonnie for me." Bunnelby nodded in the affirmative. Serena looked up just as Bunnelby was hopping over to Bonnie in order to see Talonflame return.

"Pikachu, you too." Pikachu nodded and hopped down to join Bunnelby and Bonnie. "All right, we know where our first stop is. Everyone ready?" Ash asked, throwing his fist into the air like it was a sign of impending victory.

"Ready!" they all yelled in concert, throwing their own fists into the air, and then Ash set off, following Talonflame down the road. Serena quickly sent out Braixen as Clemont called on Luxray. Serena was interested to see what kind of Pokémon their two other team members would choose, but both Brock and Gary seemed more interested in keeping pace with Ash rather than sending out their own battling partners. Feeling just a little disappointed, Serena sped up and followed Ash and Talonflame down a street lined with red and pink lights.

"Hey, there's some trainers!" cried a young voice. Serena directed her gaze up ahead and noticed that a group of trainers was congregating at the end of the street, their Pokémon in front of them like an attack formation.

"Luxray, use Swift!" Clemont commanded.

"Braixen, Fire Blast!" Both of their Pokémon struck swiftly and the opposing team's Pokémon flew backwards, leaving its trainers scrambling. From her peripheral vision, Serena could see Brock smirking a little.

"Not bad, you guys," he complimented the two. "You've both raised your Pokémon really well. Now let's get that first goalpost."

"Lead the way, Talonflame," Ash cried out. Talonflame gave another great cry, just as it began descending downward, indicating where his trainer should stop first. Once Ash seemed to get a view of their destination, Talonflame shot off for the skies again, likely to find their next stop. Serena caught up to Ash and could see that the street was widening out into a plaza, with other streets jutting out like it was a maze, each of them lined with different types of lights. From where they were, Serena could see other trainers having Pokémon battles as they all attempted to move forward.

"Let's take advantage of the confusion and slip through," Gary suggested. Ash frowned; Serena figured that he likely wanted to take part in a battle. "If we get caught up in a battle, our chances of being one of the first six dwindles."

"Gotcha. Let's move!" To Serena's surprise, it was actually easier to move through the crowd than she would have initially anticipated. The plaza was congested with battling trainers, and one false move would have drawn them into a battle, but Ash was able to keep his cool and not battle any of the trainers. (Not that he would have been able to, since Talonflame was elsewhere). Gary was the one leading the group ahead and to the stand where an attendant sat with a bemused expression. All five of their team members instantly held out their keycards.

"It's nice to see someone actually get their cards scanned," the attendant drawled humorlessly. "I'm right here, but all they do is battle."

"Then that just means we'll win," Ash insisted, taking his keycard back. The attendant didn't seem to care either way. Gary did seem to, however, for a rather thoughtful expression settled upon his face. Serena was about to ask him just what he was thinking about when Talonflame descended once more. Looking upward, Serena could see that there were numerous sky battles taking place up in the air, with some flying Pokémon falling like rain. Talonflame appeared to have escaped unscathed and was leading them to a set of orange lights down another street. "Thanks, Talonflame."

The trainers took off again, once more avoiding the battles taking place in the plaza. Serena kept an eye on any alleys they passed through, along with Clemont, in case any trainers happened to attack them. If any did pop out, Braixen and Luxray would immediately pounce. It slowed the two of them down a little (not that Clemont was fast to begin with), but allowed Brock, Gary and Ash to lead the pack without any distractions until they tumbled out into another plaza. This one appeared less populated, like a bunch of teams had already dropped out of the race by having their Pokémon knocked out. Ash was about to send Talonflame flying again.

"Just keep him nearby, Ash," Gary instructed his friend.

"But we need him to find the next station," Ash argued. Gary walked forward, putting a hand on Ash's shoulder and shaking his head.

"We don't need him anymore. I've figured it out," Gary said while they approached their second station and scanned their keycards with the attendant. "Follow me."

Serena wasn't sure what to make of Gary's strange proclamation, but considering that both Ash and Brock seemed to trust him, Serena knew it wouldn't hurt. The brunet trainer jerked his head to another street that was lined with brilliant yellow lights, almost the same shade as Clemont's hair. This time, instead of Ash taking the lead, Gary did, tossing a pokeball into the air from which an Umbreon appeared. Once they were safely on the street and out of the warring plaza, the Pokémon researcher decided to explain his theory.

"I started noticing how every street is lined with different colors of lights," Gary explained while his Umbreon let off a Shadow Ball. "First we went down a path with red lights, then a path with orange lights. Not to mention that the attendant seemed rather amused by the fact that people were spending all their time battling, as though the solution to clearing the preliminary doesn't lie in beating the other teams…"

"…but in finding the correct route," Brock concluded. Serena thought about this and realization dawned on her; they were following a path of shifting colors from the deep red and up through the line. Now they were on yellow and running towards the next plaza.

"If we figured this out, other teams must have done so, as well," Serena pointed out. Gary nodded from the lead, the movement barely discernable in the yellow light.

"That's right, which is why we have to move quickly," Gary finished. Serena nodded and she saw Clemont doing the same. Ash was the only one to not have acknowledged Gary's observation, but Serena wasn't sure if he just didn't understand what Gary was saying or if something else was going through his brain.

"Everyone, keep your Pokémon close to you," Ash finally said in a low voice. "Gary's right. We can't afford to get into battles, so keep your partners close and beat any Pokémon that comes near in one move. Talonflame, go up and look around for any trainers we might be near. Give a cry if you see them."

"Smart thinking, Ash," Clemont complimented the black-haired trainer. Serena felt so, too, but since they were nearing the next plaza with another station inside, she decided not to waste her breath in the moment. Talonflame gave a shrill cry and Serena turned to see a group of trainers approaching from behind.

"Braixen, Fire Blast!" Serena called out and Braixen attacked, sending the trainers skittering backwards. A sudden burst of inspiration hit Serena and she took out her keycard, she also ran over to Clemont and Gary and swiped theirs before they knew it. In a deft movement, she tossed it to Ash. "Ash, Brock, go on ahead and get our cards swiped, we'll join up with you."

"Great idea, Serena," Ash said with praise. Brock nodded and sent out his Croagunk from his pokeball while the two detached from the group to make their way to the next station.

"Green must be next," Clemont said, pointing out to the dimly lit green street that branched off from this plaza. "The other colors are all darker shades than yellow."

"Yeah," Gary breathed out as his Umbreon attacked another trainer's Pokémon. "That seems right."

"We're clear!" Brock yelled out and the trio called their Pokémon off the attack to join up again with Ash and Brock. Gary once again began leading the group down the green-lit path. There were less and less trainers now, leading Serena to only two conclusions: either the trainers had already been taken out, or the participants had already been decided. She really hoped that it wasn't that last one. This street was shorter, but when they emerged in the next plaza, there was no station to be seen…but there was another street lined with green. Realizing it was the only logical conclusion, Ash sped ahead and led them down that street.

The next plaza did indeed have the next station and Serena silently indicated the blue-lit street as their next destination. Ash and Brock ran off to accomplish their task while the other three dashed off to secure their route to the final station. Talonflame's cries were coming less and less frequently, and had practically stopped by the time Ash and Brock rejoined them on the street. Serena looked back up again and noticed that the coliseum was growing larger now, meaning that they were getting close to their destination.

The final plaza was all but deserted, just a few defeated teams left in the center to lick their wounds and console their Pokémon on a good job. This meant it was the first time since the very first station that all five of them could approach the station together and get their keycards scanned. After that, Ash handed them back to the three trainers and started running for the purple-lined street, which was the only conclusion, given that it led straight to the coliseum.

"We're almost there, so let's give it everything we've got!" Ash proclaimed loudly. The others all threw their fists in the air and picked up the pace, Clemont panting alongside Serena as he did his best to keep even with the group. When they reached the stairs to the coliseum, Clemont nearly collapsed, Luxray catching him and allowing him to ride to the top. None of the other team members needed such a treatment, the adrenaline of finally reaching their goal pushing them forward. No other trainers were nearby and the sounds of battle from the city seemed so far away at this point.

Finally, with a great cry of triumph, the four passed over the threshold into the coliseum's main lobby where they collapsed upon each other in a giant heap, with Ash on the bottom.

"So…heavy…" he wheezed out under their weight.

"I'm sorry," Clemont apologized. "Bonnie's been making me eat more sweets lately…"

"Why don't we all get up?" Serena suggested, waiting for Brock and Gary to get off her before she could get off of Ash. They all dusted themselves off just before they heard the sound of clapping ringing across the lobby.

"Congratulations," cried the familiar voice of the mayor. Serena turned and saw the elderly man grinning at the five of them. He had his hand outstretched and they all handed over their keycards for a brief moment so that he could scan them. "Well, Team Ketchum, you've qualified for participation in the Kalos Team Tournament!"

"Yes!" Ash cheered, leaping into the air. "I'm dying to know. What place were we?"

"Fourth place," the mayor said kindly. "Which means the preliminaries aren't over yet. In the meantime, Chrissy will take you to the waiting room you'll be using for the remainder of the tournament."

From behind the mayor, stepped his assistant, looking just as professional as Serena had seen her earlier in the day. The woman offered a slight bow and then turned towards the right-hand corridor. Having nothing else to say, the team went and followed her. For a brief moment, Serena looked back and saw the mayor offer her another smile and a light wink. That brought her own smile out and she continued along with her friends until she reached the rather large room that Chrissy was leading them to.

"We have a state-of-the-art healing facility in the waiting room. Left-hand door leads to the stadium proper while the right-hand door will lead you to where your team can watch the rest of the matches from. The tournament officially begins tomorrow at eight in the morning. Good luck, Team Ketchum."

She then offered a final bow and retreated from the room. As soon as the door closed, the team rushed in and gave a great cry of victory. Ash was, naturally, the loudest of them all. "We did it!"

"We're actually going to be in the tournament," Clemont said in relief, collapsing upon one of the beds that was in the room. "I can't wait to tell Bonnie."

"This is so exciting!" Serena called out in a singsong voice. Neither Gary nor Brock said anything, but they leaned against the walls with elated looks on their faces. Moments later, they heard a loud burst of static and the five looked around until they saw that the TV was on. The mayor's face once more appeared on the screen.

"The preliminaries are over and the six teams have been decided!" he said jubilantly. "We'll be revealing the qualifying teams tomorrow morning at eight o'clock sharp, so don't miss it.

"The Kalos Team Tournament begins!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I had some fun with this preliminary round. Thinking up all the different things the characters would do was tough work, but I'm pretty happy with what I've decided on. What the Team setup has allowed most of all is a wealth of strategies that just Ash, or just Serena, etc. wouldn't be able to pull off on their own. I also liked setting up the lights last chapter to have an actual meaning this chapter. Obviously the teams and their members will be revealed next chapter, and you'll certainly see some familiar faces. Heh heh…
> 
> On another note, yes, Gary has noticed Serena's (rather obvious) crush on Ash. How will that affect her "small steps" forward will be seen in the future. But you'll have to wait around for it to develop. I'm trying to keep this relatively realistic, so forgive me if development seems slow…at first.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for spending your time with me and the Kalos Crew here and please Review. Oh, and Dare to Be Silly.


	4. A Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm incapable of creating anything without having a sinister plot behind it. Okay…that's not totally true, but it is for my action stories. Here's hoping you'll enjoy it anyway. Time for chapter 4!

Chapter 4

A Competition

It was such a spectacle. Fireworks were exploding in the air, creating dizzying arrays of Pokémon shapes in all colors. Balloons were flying high from the stands like a multi-colored wave that washed over the stadium. The roar of the anticipating crowd echoed from down below as cheerleaders on the field did routines with their dancing Pokémon. They might as well have been performers, for all she cared.

The whole thing was just a little sickening.

"The Kalos Team Tournament, huh?" the girl spat through her teeth. She clicked her heel against the stone surface she was sitting on, unnoticed by all the world. "What a disgrace…such a blight on a rich history. It's like they don't even respect the past anymore…"

She sighed, running a hand through her dark hair as she stared wistfully up at the sky. A firework exploded near her, visible even in the bright blue sky. It was the shape of a Whismur, lilac coloring and all. The girl grit her teeth, her hands clasping violently on her brown traveling cloak, and she looked away from the horrific sight, eyes landing on the castle. It was so close…but so far…

Wind whistled above the stands as the crowd roared even louder, causing the girl's clothes to blow upwards a little. Sighing once more to herself, she turned her body and hung her legs off the side of the stone, looking down into the stadium while the cheerleaders were clearing off. It was amazing how she was sitting in plain sight on top of the stadium but no one even saw her.

"It's almost that time folks!" called the commentator from his box and the girl's eyes narrowed. Everything was finally about to begin. "We're all set for that tournament of bonds, trainers and Pokémon: the Kalos Team Tournament, and I can promise you that this one will be a tournament to remember!"

"That's for sure," the girl mumbled to herself. She leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee as her hand propped her head up. "I think this year will be plenty fun. Let's see what kind of trainers we get." The crowd roared in approval once more, the excitement reaching its peak and the girl's smirk faded into a frown. "Don't worry…we'll meet again soon, Aster."

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe how packed it is out there!" Serena commented, having just run back in from where they would be able to watch the tournament when not competing. Bonnie was already out there with Dedenne and Squishy, hyped up by the excitement pervading the stadium.

"It's really no surprise," Brock said with a chuckle. "Not only are all the teams that didn't make the cut out there, but so are the citizens of the city and spectators from all over the region."

"Like I said, it's almost as big as the League," Clemont reminded her. Serena gave no response, feeling as though it would be pointless to do so. Instead, she just fixed her hat and adjusted the ribbon on her chest. She hadn't had much time this morning after sleeping late. They hadn't gotten to sleep until around three after returning to their reattached hotel room. Ash was near one of the beds in their waiting room as he adjusted his gloves. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, just as excited as his trainer for what was about to take place.

"This is so awesome," he said under his breath. A smile bubbled up on Serena's face, which really wasn't that hard when Ash was around, unless he was needlessly risking his life (which seemed to happen every other week now that she came to think of it). A static burst came from the TV in their room and displayed a scene of the currently empty stadium.

"Oh, it looks like they're starting," Serena pointed out, drawing the males' attention to the screen. "We should get going."

"Right," Gary agreed, running a hand through his hair. Ash held his hand out to all of them.

"All right, guys. Let's go out there and win this!" The other team members threw their hands in and raised them up in the air, their hands now closed into fists like it was a sign of victory.

"Pi Pikachu!" the yellow Pokémon cried. Ash then turned to the door leading to the stadium and started leading their group into the dimly lit hallway. Serena trailed right behind Ash, with Clemont at her side, and Brock and Gary brought up the rear. As they got closer to the arena, the roar of the crowd grew louder, almost to deafening proportions and Serena found herself getting just a little nervous. She had always been at ease in front of a crowd; one needed to be in order to perform in Showcases. However, this was an entirely different field, and it scared her just a little.

"Greetings and salutations, ladies and gentlemen and trainers alike," called the commentator's voice from out in the arena. It was so loud that it was echoing all the way into where they were standing. "Welcome to day one of the Kalos Team Tournament!" At his proclamation, the crowd went absolutely wild with excitement. Even Ash started hopping up and down on the balls of his feet. "I'm your lead commentator, Harrison 'Harry' Kalas, and with me for the next five days of Kalos' most illustrious tournament are my guest commentators. Please welcome Monsieur Pierre, show master of the Pokémon Showcase; Professor Augustine Sycamore from Lumiose City; and Ancien City's very own Mayor Aston Berkley!"

"Zis is a most splendid opportunity for me," Monsieur Pierre spoke to the crowd. "As a show master for performances, I look forward to all ze battles instead."

"Thanks for having me here," Professor Sycamore said. Serena looked to Ash and Clemont before the three of them turned to Gary. He wore a little smirk on his face, showing that he knew the professor would be here all along. It made sense to her: he was the regional professor, after all.

"Welcome to Ancien City folks," Aston the mayor said. "I'm looking forward to a great tournament."

"Well, now that all of our own introductions are out of the way," Harry the commentator began, "let's kick off the tournament by introducing our teams!" His declaration was met with even greater enthusiasm than the last round of cheering. Serena breathed in, the nervousness increasing just a little bit. "All right, folks, in sixth place, and the last to qualify for the tournament, say hello to Team Research!"

Applause followed Harry's announcement, and though Serena couldn't see anything from where they were currently standing, she had a feeling that the first team was making its way triumphantly onto the field. Serena's hands nervously gripped at the hem of her dress, knowing that their team was going to be called out sooner or later. At the same moment, Harry announced the fifth place team, a group known as Team Performer. It was a little funny to hear a team named after something she was, but her nerves prevented her from laughing at it. Ash appeared to notice her predicament, because he leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"Let's win this, Serena," he said. Pikachu scampered across Ash's connected arm and also touched Serena's face with an encouraging nod before scampering back to his trainer.

"Right."

"Now, raise your voices for our fourth place team, the incredible Team Ketchum!" Ash retracted his hand, while Serena stopped fiddling with her skirt. The raven haired trainer then stepped forward, almost in slow motion as he took a step out onto the field. Serena was right behind him once again as the group emerged onto the field to a rather loud applause. The first thing they heard was Bonnie.

"Go, Team Ketchum! Go, go Team Ketchum!" Bonnie cried out above the crowd. Clemont blushed with a spot of embarrassment, but Serena could tell that he felt proud to have his sister cheering for him. Serena turned until she saw Bonnie waving and jumping from the stands. Dedenne was next to her. "C'mon Dedenne and Squishy! Go, Team Ketchum!"

"De de denene!" the Fairy type cheered. Serena, all nervousness replaced with a smile, turned back to see a familiarly unpleasant sight attached to Ash's arm casually.

"What a surprise to see you guys here?" said the owner of said arm. "Serena, we haven't seen each other in a while, have we?"

"Hey, Miette. It has been a while hasn't it?" Ash said with a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. Serena pouted, closing the gap between herself and the two of them. Inside her head, she couldn't stop the thought of,  _It hasn't been long enough_ , from forming.

"So, Serena, how's that Sylveon of yours?" Miette asked, detaching herself from Ash with a sultry wink. Serena brought her facial features under control in order to stand straight in front of the blue-haired Pokémon Performer.

"Sylveon's fine. And how are you Miette?" she asked, holding her hand out with all the sweetness she could muster.

"I'm fine," Miette answered simply. She took Serena's hand to shake it, but unexpectedly pulled her in close. "I see you haven't made your move on Ash yet."

"And who's fault would that be, Miss Dance Stealer?" Serena shot back under her breath so that Ash couldn't hear them, although he seemed more preoccupied with sizing up the other teams. She had surprised herself about how bitter she sounded.

"So, you  _are_  bitter about that," Miette said with a smirk, like she'd uncovered the secret of the century. "Well, maybe you'll get your chance this time, if I don't steal him from you first."

"I won't let that happen, Miette dear," Serena responded. The two girls turned their heads to look each other in the eyes, practical sparks springing between them. The smirk never faded from Miette's face while Serena adopted more of a scowl.

"Someone's getting more confident," Miette observed, and this time the honey-blonde had no decent response.

"Come on, girls, fighting isn't befitting of a Kalos Queen," said a voice near them. The two Performers turned their heads to see the pink-haired girl smiling gently at the both of them. Miette stepped back with a light bow. Serena just blinked.

"A-Aria…" Serena started to exclaim before the current Kalos Queen put a finger over her mouth to shush her, "…na. Ariana! It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has, Serena. Did your blond male friend pass on my message?" Aria asked sweetly. Serena turned to Clemont, unaware that the two had ever met, but the blond inventor was busy scrutinizing the other team on the field. "Oh, well, that doesn't matter. I'm glad I get the chance to compete against you and your team. It's not often I get to just enjoy a festival."

"Yeah, I look forward to it, too. But we won't lose!" Serena assured both her and Miette.

"Well, don't count our team out. I'm on it, after all," said another voice as a different member of Aria and Miette's team approached them. She was a little shorter, but no less welcome a sight.

"So you're on their team, too, Nini," Serena said happily. "No wonder you're calling yourselves Team Performer!" Before the girls could continue their conversation further, she felt a tap of Clemont's Aipom Arm on her shoulder. Serena looked over to her teammates to see them all looking at Team Research with something akin to amused confusion, if that were a thing. She gave a wave to her rivals and made the short journey to her friends.

"It's totally him," Ash was asserting to Brock while Serena approached them.

"Yeah…but why is Conway of all people here?" Brock asked. "I didn't know he had any plans to travel to Kalos…but it's not like I keep in contact with him."

"You don't think…Brock, is there something you're not telling me?" Ash asked with his hands on his hips. Serena leaned in to ask what they were talking about when Clemont and Gary pointed out something of far more interest as a part of Team Research.

"Don't those three look familiar?" Gary asked. Serena narrowed her eyes to pay attention to what they were talking about. It didn't take long to find. Serena's mouth dropped open.

"Is that…Team Rocket?" she said, her mouth still hanging open the entire time. Next to her, Clemont sighed.

"Normally their disguises are so foolproof," he commented. "I'm surprised we could see through them."

"Might have something to do with their Meowth not being in disguise," Gary said with a snort of laughter. "Though, somehow, I'm not surprised that they're actually competing."

"Well, just tell Ash to keep an eye on Pikachu and all our other Pokémon," Serena said. It was this moment that Harry decided to move the tournament's proceedings along.

"Now comes our third place team: Team Trainer!" Once again, the crowd expectedly roared its approval as the next team came onto the field. Most of the people within the team were all unfamiliar…except for the boy standing at its head. When said boy caught sight of Ash, he ran forward with practical sparkles in his eyes.

"Ash!" he greeted loudly, almost tripping over his feet. Before he reached the raven haired trainer, he had whipped out his notebook.

"Sawyer!" Ash greeted with a raised hand to the green haired trainer. "You're competing too, huh? Guess I'm not surprised."

"Yeah," Sawyer admitted sheepishly. "I only just got into town last night, so I ended up forming a team with those guys over there. None of us really knew each other, except for Jael and Kael, but they're brothers."

"It'll be great to compete against you."

"Yeah, you too." The two shook hands like old friends and Serena smiled at the interaction. There was something about Sawyer she liked; maybe it was that she could connect with him due to their mutual admiration for Ash and his attitude.

"Hold on to your seats, folks," Harry announced once more, "because we're ready to introduce our second place team. Put your hands together for Team Coordinator!" Predictable cheers followed as from another entrance to the field emerged this Team Coordinator.

"Shauna!" Serena cried upon catching sight of the brunette amongst the group of five. Shauna smiled and waved at her.

"Trevor…and Tierno…well, that makes sense," Clemont observed. Serena expected a similar cry from Ash to follow, but when she looked at him, he wasn't moving at all. He was just staring blankly at the arrival of Team Coordinator with his mouth hanging open slightly, a shaky finger pointing at the team. Serena flitted her eyes between Ash and the opposite team, a confused frown on her lips. It really wasn't that surprising that Shauna and her group had managed to pass the preliminaries, so she didn't understand why he was staring so blankly.

"Dawn? May? !" Ash practically stuttered out. Serena did a double take, just as the two remaining members of Team Coordinator ran at Ash and tackled him and Pikachu to the ground in a big group hug. Ash extricated himself from said hug and glared vehemently at Brock and Gary. "How come you guys didn't tell me they came with you?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise, Ash! No need to worry!" one of the girls exclaimed, brushing her blue hair backward with a brilliant smile. She got off of Ash and helped the other girl, a brunette with a bandana, to her feet. As they righted themselves, Serena could see a blue penguin on Ash's shoulders with Pikachu. "How have you been, Pikachu? Buneary misses you. Piplup too, it seems."

"Pi pika…" Pikachu said nervously, patting the Piplup on the back. The brunette turned towards Serena and Clemont at this point.

"Oh, are these your new friends?" she asked, holding a hand out for Serena. Still confused, the honey blonde reached over and shook her hand. "I'm May. That's Dawn."

"Oh, so you're Ash's old friends," Clemont responded in relief, like he had been as in the dark as she was. "Ash talks about you all quite often."

"Does he now?" May asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "He tends to do that a lot." Serena blinked, unsure of exactly what emotion she was feeling inside. It was one thing to hear about these beautiful girls that Ash used to travel with in his stories; seeing them up close and how they made Ash smile began to make Serena feel woefully inadequate. She wouldn't blame Ash for liking either one of these girls, and it made her heart sink in her chest. May appeared to notice her forlorn expression and looked like she was about to say something when-

"It's good to see you, too, Dawn," cackled a creepy voice from behind the poor bluenette.

"C-Conway, you're here," Dawn said with an absolutely frightened stutter. "Since when did you come to Kalos?"

"Oh, Dawn, my dear, you know I will go wherever you lead," the boy, Conway, said with a creepy expression, highlighted further by the shiny glasses he was wearing.

"Hey, lover boy, stop your creepy stalking and get over here pronto!" hollered a shrill voice from Team Research's area. Serena recognized it as Jessie's, followed up by James.

"We've got team strategizing to do!"

"Not like it ever helped us before…" Meowth chimed in, only to be brutally assaulted by his team members. It still did the charm and Conway slunk away from Dawn with the creepiest laugh known to mankind.

"I see he's still stalking you," Ash chuckled out.

"Oh, yeah," Dawn answered with a light giggle that made Serena's heart clench all the further.  _I hate feeling jealous_ , she thought sadly. "All the way to Johto and back again. It would be romantic if it weren't so creepy."

"Still, it's great to see you guys again!" Ash said, with Pikachu obviously sharing the same sentiments. He raised his hand up and he and Dawn high fived. Serena sucked in a breath, telling her to get her emotions under control. She liked Ash, yes, but that didn't mean he didn't like someone else. It was an unfortunate fact, but one she knew she'd have to get used to. "But I'm looking forward to competing against you like I did in the Wallace Cup."

"Bring it on, Ash!" May challenged him, causing the whole group of old friends to break out into laughter.

"Now the moment is here," Harry announced, silencing the conversation. "Say hello to the team that took first place in the preliminaries by storm. Get on your feet and scream for TEAM BRUTAL!" The crowd responded accordingly as all the teams turned to face the last entrance

The team that emerged practically swaggered out, it's leader throwing his hands in the air and soaking in the full admiration of the crowd. Serena couldn't stop herself from throwing out a gag at just who was leading this Team Brutal: Seamus. Only he and the boy named Travis were recognizable, however, though they may have just been cookie-cutters of each other considering the confident smirks on all their faces. Seamus caught sight of them with a smirk.

"Looks like you losers are already starting on the back foot," he said simpering.

"And what's your problem?" Gary asked venomously. Travis appeared to scoff.

"Nothing worth mentioning," he responded. Serena's previous frown was turned into a scowl. Of course these jerks just  _had_  to make it into the actual tournament, and in first place no less. She wasn't surprised they were part of a team called Team Brutal whatsoever.

"Well, now that all our teams are assembled, what are your thoughts on them, Professor Sycamore?" Harry asked.

"I know members of Team Ketchum and Team Coordinator quite well, and I hope they can both do a magnificent job in the upcoming competition," Sycamore responded graciously.

"Most of Team Performer have participated in ze Pokémon Showcase," Pierre shared with the crowd. "I look forward to see what kind of combinations zey can provide."

"I'm just looking for a great time, so I hope you'll all enjoy the tournament," Aston confessed.

"Right you are," Harry concluded. "So, without further ado, let's bring up the schedule for our competitors."

A loud rumbling filled the arena as a small hole opened up in the middle of it and a large monitor emerged from the ground, lighting up instantly. Serena finally stood next to Ash while the other competitors joined up with their own teams to take a look at the monitor before them. As they all stared at the screen, words began to roll across it effortlessly.

"If you'll take a look at our display, you will see that the first four days of this five-day tournament are essentially split into four sections," Harry explained to both the crowd and the competitors. "In the morning will be competitions, each having their own special set of rules and restrictions. For this segment, the teams are allowed to choose who they wish to have compete for their team, but do note that by the end of day four, all trainers on a team must take part in at least one competition. The fourth day will feature a tag competition, meaning that all five members can easily be used."

"The tournament organizers and myself decided that this would be the best process to take," Aston said, clearing his throat just a little. "We figured it was the best way to see how the teams can come together and strategize."

"A wise choice, in my opinion," the commentator continued on. "That said, we will not inform the teams of what the competition will be until the trainers are chosen and on the field. From there, the competitors will be ranked according to a score that varies based on the competition with the first place scoring five points, second gets four points, so on and so forth until last place gets zero."

"Hmm, that means we'll have to give a real thought to how we approach the competition segments," Brock said, stroking his chin as he did so. "It's not just a simple battle, so we'll have to think about it."

"Following the competition section will be a brief intermission for lunch, though the teams will not be allowed to leave their waiting rooms," Harry told the crowd. "Once we resume in the afternoon, we'll embark on the exciting battle portion. From here, one trainer from each team will be selected randomly to face off against another team in a one-on-one matchup. The winner of this battle will receive five points, the loser nothing, and if the battle is not completed within a half-hour time limit, then both teams receive three points. The fourth day's battle will be a tag battle. And don't worry about only one person competing on a single day; if a trainer takes part in a competition section, they are ineligible for the battle portion on that same day."

"Well, that's good," Clemont observed. "We won't have to worry about tiring our Pokémon out too much."

"That  _is_  a relief," Serena expressed.

"After the day's tournament is completed, all participants and spectators can feel free to enjoy the festival, featuring a different theme each evening. It will all culminate in a final battle on day five, where the team with the most points wins the tournament. Trainers on the field, now is the time to pick your members for our first competition!"

Each of the teams looked around confusedly, surprised that they'd all be put on the spot so quickly. Ash just pumped his fist in the air enthusiastically.

"I'll go out for us," he started saying.

"Actually, why don't I go?" Clemont insisted, surprising the entire group, and none more so than Serena. She looked at him, wondering why he'd want to take first pick over Ash of all people. It was so unlike him. "Bonnie's watching in the stands, and I want to show her what I can do…also, I think it would be a good idea to size up our opponents this round and who better than myself. After all, the future is now thanks to-"

"Clemont, you know that using an invention may hinder you, right?" Serena asked sweetly. She didn't want to come off too harsh, but felt that in such a tournament setting, she needed to open his eyes to reality. Clemont slouched in defeat. "I still think you're the best choice, since you're such a quick study."

"Heh, thanks Serena," Clemont said with a light blush of embarrassment.

"Good luck, then, Clemont," Ash said, thumping his friend on the back jovially. Gary and Brock were already starting to move back so that they could take their place in the stands. "We'll be rooting for you!"

"Right! I won't let our team down!" Clemont insisted, clasping his hand with Ash's. The black-haired trainer offered one last smile before he and Serena began to walk off the field, following in the steps of Gary and Brock.

"Think he'll be okay?" Serena asked worriedly. She had full faith in her friends, but it was true that she had rarely seen Clemont battle anybody besides Team Rocket and Ash.

"Clemont'll be fine. He's a genius, after all," Ash assured her with his usual grin. "And even if we don't do well, there's always tomorrow. Let's just have some fun and try our best." Serena nodded, words failing to come into her brain. The two finished the short trek and exited into the stands, Bonnie waiting for them with a rather happy expression.

"This looks like so much fun!" the girl exclaimed, twirling around with Dedenne on her head. "Let's all root extra hard for my big brother, Clemont!" Serena made her way to the edge and looked down into the stadium. All of the other teams had moved off the field now, leaving only the six selected trainers down below. Higher up, at eye level with the crowd were even more monitors where the teams were all listed, each of them marked with having zero points. That changed as Harry began to speak again, with specific trainer's faces appearing on the screens.

"The teams have made their selections, and we're all set to begin," he said with gusto. "From Team Brutal, it's the indomitable Seamus. Team Ketchum has sent out Clemont, while Team Coordinator sends out Dawn, and Team Performer sends out Nini. Team Trainer appoints Bruce to the first competition and Team Research puts Kenneth out." Serena looked down at the two unfamiliar trainers: one was wearing large round glasses and had puffy brown hair, like he'd been in too many lab accidents. Serena guessed that he was Kenneth, while the suave looking boy in a red jacket with short black hair was clearly Bruce.

"Go, Clemont, go!" Bonnie yelled out from next to them. Right as she finished yelling, the stadium began to tremble again. All around the circular stadium emerged a track ring, and at the opposite end of the stadium from where they were sitting emerged a strange circular device. Attached to them were six, differently colored…goals?

"Welcome to our first competition: Super Shooting!" Harry cried to the roaring approval of the crowd. "As you can see, there are six differently colored goals attached to that ring, with each color representing a team. The goal of the competition is to shoot those balls on the field into your team's colored goal. Each trainer is allowed to use only one Pokémon to accomplish this task. Naturally, the team that scores the most points wins the competition. However, there's a catch: the goals will not only be rotating constantly, but they will also be moving around the field. Trainers, you may select your Pokémon, and the game will begin at the firing of the Hyper Beam."

"That's going to require a lot of hand-eye coordination," Gary observed, leaning casually to survey the field. Serena looked worriedly at Ash.

"That's not good," she expressed.

"Not for Clemont, anyway," Bonnie said with her own growing trepidation. Serena just swallowed and turned back to the action that was about to unfold on the field.

* * *

Clemont knew he was doomed the second he had recognized that he was going to have to shoot goals. He had always been bad at sports, preferring to tinker with his tools and complete research. Knowing that he was going to have to do such a strenuous activity made him pale at the very thought. In that moment, he regretted having volunteered for the first round. He really should have let Ash take it. Still, he had volunteered, and he was going to see this through to the end. All he had to decide was what Pokémon to use in the competition.

His Pokémon decided for him.

"Chespin ches!" Chespin cried happily as he popped out of Clemont's pokeball. Clemont kneeled down to his Grass type's level.

"You want to compete, Chespin?"

"Ches ches chespin!" the Spiny Nut Pokémon said with a thump to its chest. Clemont knew that he really should have expected it with how spontaneous Chespin could be. He sighed a little, only somewhat relieved that he didn't have to make a decision about his Pokémon. Then he turned and watched the other trainers choosing their Pokémon. Nini seemed to be using her Farfetch'd while the trainer known as Seamus was using an Alakazam. The two trainers that weren't familiar, Bruce and Kenneth, were using Pangoro and Bisharp respectively. All that left was Dawn, Ash's old friend.

"All right, Buneary, spotlight!" Dawn called, sending her pokeball into the air, from which Buneary emerged. Dawn leaned down, just as Clemont had done with Chespin and offered the Rabbit Pokémon something from the palm of her hand.

"Ches chespin!" Clemont's Pokémon cried out as he began to run over to where Dawn and Buneary were. Clemont paled, knowing what the most likely reason for his Pokémon approaching her would be.

"Chespin! We're about to compete, this is no time to eat," Clemont whined. Sure enough, when he and his partner reached Dawn, it showed a pink poffin in her hand, having taken them out of a bag.

"It's okay," Dawn said with a smile in Chespin's direction. She took another poffin out of the bag and handed it to Chespin…who swallowed it without even chewing.

"Chespin!" the Pokémon cried happily. Dawn straightened up.

"We may be opponents, but you're still a friend of Ash," Dawn told him. "Any friend of Ash is a friend of mine, and that includes their Pokémon."

"Bun…Buneary…" Dawn's Pokémon appeared to be looking in the direction of the stands where Ash and the others were sitting. More than that, she seemed to be hiding her fur in her face. Dawn just laughed and petted her faithful Pokémon.

"Well, may the best trainer win," Dawn said, holding her hand out to Clemont. The inventor adjusted his glasses and shook it, just as the container holding the balls emerged from the ground onto the field.

"Get ready, Chespin!" Clemont said to his Pokémon. Seconds later, the Hyper Beam fired off into the sky and competition began. At that exact moment, the cage containing the balls sprang free, along with all of the trainers' Pokémon. This proved harder than they expected as the balls bounced onto the stadium floor in all sorts of directions. "Chespin, grab a ball with your Vine Whip!"

"Chespin!" Chespin complied happily, extending its vines to grab the nearest ball, then it looked up at Clemont as though wondering just what it should do.

"Toss them in the red goal, not the others," Clemont said, taking a quick look at the screen in the stadium to confirm that their team was, in fact, the red goal. Chespin nodded and ran towards the rotating goal stand. With a heave of its vines, Chespin sent the ball hurtling straight at the goal, only for it to bounce off the goalpost. "Let's do it again, Chespin! We won't stop until the end."

"Ches pin pin," Chespin said in determination. Not moving from its spot, Chespin sent its vines out again, this time grabbing two balls at once and flinging them at the goal. One sailed in, but the other was suddenly interrupted by Farfetch'd flying up and smacking the ball away while throwing its own into its team's goal. This didn't deter Chespin, who once more went towards a ball, only for Pangoro to come charging through, collecting as many of the balls as possible. The gust of wind that was carried with the Daunting Pokémon's steps sent all of the smaller Pokémon tumbling backwards, including Chespin, who crashed into Buneary.

"Bun bun!" Buneary snapped at the grass type. Chespin rubbed the back of its head nervously.

"Buneary, no time to be spacing out! Use your ears and knock the balls into our goal!" Dawn ordered. Buneary ignored Chespin in favor of her trainer and aimed its powerful ears at the balls, whacking them away in a perfectly aimed arc towards Team Coordinator's goal. Dawn winked at Clemont.

"We can't give up, either, Chespin! Use Pin Missile to knock the balls into the air and then Vine Whip to slam them into our goal!" Clemont ordered. Chespin thumped its chest proudly and did as its trainer ordered. Chespin's Pin Missile sent at least five balls sailing high into the air, which was followed up by a quick succession of Vine Whip attacks to knock them onto the right trajectory. Only the first had enough speed and height to reach the goal, scoring another point for their team. The rest were all knocked away by the barrage of shots that Bisharp was making. Not that Bisharp was scoring much, but the attack was enough to stop everybody's attack but Pangoro, who kept charging through. Farfetch'd also seemed to recover quickly enough, resuming its uninterrupted swooping and swerving to keep putting balls in the goal.

"That Farfetch'd is a real pain," Bruce growled out, straightening his jacket. "Pangoro, use Focus Blast and knock it out."

"Goro," the Pokémon grunted. It then charged straight at Farfetch'd and sent a turquoise sphere at the flying Pokémon. Farfetch'd didn't see it coming, and despite the type advantage, it crumpled to the ground, taken out of the competition.

"Of course…" Clemont chuckled to himself. He was finally starting to get a handle on this game. "Chespin, use your Vine Whip to restrain Buneary."

"Buneary, Ice Beam to counter!" Chespin leapt to the side, eager to evade the ice attack. Right after, he renewed his attack. Meanwhile, Clemont continued to scan the field, looking for their next opportunity. The game's description had been akin to a misnomer, Clemont realized. It wasn't about scoring goals. It was about making your opponents  _not_  score goals. Preventing them was the number one issue. The other trainers were starting to get the idea. Pangoro and Bisharp had engaged in a fistfight that looked all too much like a game of dodgeball, with some balls making it in to their respective goals. Nini was trying to wake up Farfetch'd and Chespin was still involved in a stalemate with Buneary. The oddest thing about all this was the sight of Seamus and his Alakazam leaning casually against one of the stadium walls, a smirk on his face. He caught sight of Clemont and gave his finger a quick spin.

The unthinkable happened next. There was a strange blue glow towards Dawn's hip and the bag of poffins she had kept tucked into her skirt fell to the ground. Clemont knew they were out of this fight before any more moves happened because Chespin caught sight of the poffins and ran for them, completely ignoring Buneary to stuff his face.

Filled with despair, Clemont looked toward the scoreboard.

BRUCE/PANGORO 8

NINI/FARFETCH'D 6

DAWN/BUNEARY 4

KENNETH/BISHARP 3

CLEMONT/CHESPIN 2

SEAMUS/ALAKAZAM 0

It wasn't favorable, and time was running out with only five minutes left on the clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The last three chapters all ended at natural stopping points, so I ended with a cliffhanger. Who's going to win the first competition, Super Scoring? Make your guesses. For that matter, who is going to battle against who in the upcoming afternoon matches? I'd love to see what you guys are thinking. Of course, I know the story, but I love hearing your reactions. Which makes me wonder…should I do a question of the day? Hmmm…so many questions, and not enough answers.
> 
> Something I want to address is this: many of you noted last chapter, and will probably have seen still more similarities this chapter, of the KTTs similarities to Fairy Tail's Grand Magic Games. This was intentional. I structured the tournament similar to the GMGs, however, the results and how everything will go is different. Obviously the first competition is very different from The Hidden or any other competition in said series. I hope this won't turn you off to the story, but rather, will enhance it.
> 
> I'll do my best to make even greater material for the next chapter, but in the meantime, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	5. A Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A moment of reiteration: yes, the structure is the same as the Grand Magic Games. Yes, some moments may seem similar. Is it the same? No, and I think you'll see that by the end of the story. For now, please enjoy Chapter 5!

Chapter 5

A Battle

"Clemont! What do you think you're doing?" Bonnie yelled from the stands, despite the fact that Clemont was so involved in the competition, he likely didn't hear her. Serena saw fit to remind Bonnie of this little fact by putting a comforting hand on her. "Does he want to lose or something?"

"Nah," Ash said, crouching down next to Bonnie. Gary and Brock hung back, the pair obviously still not used to the general vibe of the group, despite their friendship with Ash.

"You guys don't want to watch?" Serena asked teasingly. Brock chortled a little, wearing a slightly mollified expression as he walked up next to Serena.

"Guess it's been a long time since I've been in a tournament…or even watched one that wasn't on TV."

"I am watching," Gary explained to defend his position. Serena somehow doubted that, but when she saw how narrow and focused his eyes were, she saw no reason to defy him. Instead, she turned her attention back to the battlefield where she could see the source of Bonnie's displeasure.

"Looks like Chespin's stomach has struck again," Serena sighed out. "Well, we knew we weren't getting first place for this one anyway."

"That's okay," Ash reassured them. "Once Chespin recovers, if he can score just a couple more points, we'll finish in a high position."

"I don't think Chespin's getting back up," Bonnie pointed out sadly. Serena had to agree with the little girl; while there hadn't been an extraordinary amount of poffins littered on the ground, the fact was that Chespin ate them all. In effect, Chespin was stuffed full and prepared to take a nap if it weren't for Clemont pulling on him in vain to start competing again.

"Sometimes Chespin's a lot of trouble, huh?" Brock asked, watching as Buneary broke free to score at least one more goal. "It's pretty heated out there with only a few minutes…and that Team Brutal hasn't done anything."

"That's what worries me," Gary said. He was stepping forward now, placing his head in between Serena and Brock while pointing to Seamus, who was finally off his feet and stepping forward slowly. "I get the feeling that he made those poffins fall just to get Chespin out of the game. Not sure if it's because he's on our team or if he's just being a jerk. Either way, he's smart."

"So what if he's smart?" Ash protested. Pikachu shook his hand angrily at the implication as well, with even Dedenne joining in on the fun. "We've got willpower."

"That's right!" Bonnie agreed. Serena didn't verbally agree with her friends, but she did nod emphatically. Gary sighed tiredly.

"Somehow, I'm not sure if that'll be enough," Gary told them.

"He's making his move, now," Brock informed them. All of the trainers turned back to the arena and saw what suddenly became a rather horrific sight. Alakazam and Seamus were in the center of the field now and Alakazam's eyes were glowing blue. All at once, the Pokémon and their trainers were levitated by the Pokémon's Psychic attack and then tossed along as though they were rag dolls. For those Pokémon that weren't affected, their trainers were thrown into them instead. Meanwhile, Seamus was laughing as Alakazam's move levitated all the balls in the arena towards his goal, scoring a sudden twenty points within a matter of seconds.

"See now," Seamus cried out, his gaze directed solely at Team Ketchum's box. "You and all your Pokémon are just tools to be used at my disposal. Thanks for weakening the herd!"

The bell rang out, signaling the end of the competition. Ash slammed his hand angrily on the stone that made up the box they were in, obviously furious at the mistreatment of people and Pokémon that Seamus had displayed. Most of the spectators seemed a little shocked too, though it was soon overridden by awe once they looked at the scoreboard. With her own stomach churning in horror, Serena looked up to the scoreboard, which made her stomach sink only lower.

TEAM BRUTAL 5

TEAM TRAINER 4

TEAM PERFORMER 3

TEAM COORDINATOR 2

TEAM RESEARCH 1

TEAM KETCHUM 0

"Last place…" Bonnie whined, clearly disappointed with the outcome. Clemont didn't seem happy with it either because he trailed from the field, carrying a sleepy Chespin with a look of dejection on his face.

"And that's the end of the competition round for day one," Kalas suddenly cried out to the stadium, causing a cheer to run through it. "Team Brutal made an impressive display with Seamus' Alakazam dominating the competition at the end there, earning them the top spot to start with. They're already on track to win it all. Meanwhile, that strange comedy routine from Clemont's Chespin has left Team Ketchum feeling a little on the back burner in last place."

"I have a feeling they'll step up their game as the competition goes on," Professor Sycamore said sympathetically.

"Well, they'll have a chance to in this afternoon's battles, but for now we're taking a break for lunch. We'll see you here at one o'clock this afternoon, folks," Harry concluded. Another shudder of applause made its way through the crowd as they began moving off in different directions. Serena sighed and was the first to begin making her way back to their waiting room. Surely, Clemont must have been there by now, and the Pokémon Performer figured that he would be needing some comfort after a loss like that.

"Clemont," she spoke softly when she entered the room. The bespectacled inventor turned his head to take a look at her a moment. Once he had though, his head dropped, nearly touching Chespin's feet, the Spiny Nut Pokémon resting blissfully on the bed. Clemont refused to look up again.

"I'm sorry, guys…" he expressed sadly. "I let the team down and got us last place."

"Don't worry about it," Serena expressed, reaching over and putting a hand over his softly. He didn't move to take it or anything, displaying just how hard this loss was hitting him. "You have nothing to be ashamed about."

"Serena's right," Ash said, moving past her to put his arm comfortably around Clemont. "If anyone should be ashamed, it's that jerk Seamus. How could he treat Pokémon like that just to win a competition?"

"Yeah, Clemont," Bonnie piped up. It was obvious that she was eager to cheer her brother up. "You might not have won, but you still looked really cool out there." A knock on the waiting room door sounded out and a man came in with a cart loaded with food that he placed in the center of the room before bowing out. Ash leapt for the food immediately and began to load a plate. The others were more cautious, with Clemont barely taking any food at all. Unfortunately, the food didn't do much to improve the mood of the room. This became all the more apparent when Brock placed his plate down after having barely eaten anything.

"They certainly live up to their name, don't they?" he said under his breath. "Team Brutal…"

"Yeah…" Serena uttered meekly. It was strange how much that one event was playing over and over again in her mind. Watching those poor Pokémon and the trainers being hurled around like they meant nothing. The worst part was that the crowd ate it up. That wasn't natural…it couldn't be. To condone something so sickening was just wrong. Maybe it had just been a release from the horror of seeing it; she wasn't sure. The only thing Serena was sure about was that Team Brutal were worse than even Team Rocket; at least Jessie and James took care of their Pokémon while Seamus claimed other trainers' Pokémon were just tools.

A new bell started ringing, indicating that far too much time had passed already without them noticing. Ash was the first to stand, seemingly ready to get back out there and help the team earn points. Serena was right behind him with Bonnie attached to her side. All of the team members were practically out the door when Serena noticed that Clemont wasn't following them.

"You're not going to join us, Clemont?" she asked in concern. He was certainly taking his loss harder than she thought he would.

"I think I'll just stay with Chespin for now. I'll watch the matches on the TV in here," he said softly. The tone worried Serena and she thought of trying to comfort him. Bonnie moved quicker, hugging her brother as tight as she could. Clemont patted her on the head and the younger girl rejoined Serena to go outside.

The stadium was once again filled with spectators and it looked like all the other teams were outside as well. Bonnie took a seat rather than standing, clutching Dedenne to her chest while the boys made their way to look over the arena, which now looked like the arenas that Serena was used to seeing in the gyms. Her own gaze flitted upward to where the commentators were finishing off their lunch, making it look like they hadn't left the stadium either. After seeing them moving back into their commentating position, Serena's gaze fell onto the scoreboard and she grimaced, clenching the ribbon on her chest tightly.

"All right, folks, we're back, and I hope you're ready for some more action," Kalas announced to the crowd. "As it's the afternoon we're here to take part in some battles. If you'll direct your attention to the screen, you'll notice that the team matchups have already been decided."

TEAM BRUTAL vs. TEAM PERFORMER

TEAM COORDINATOR vs. TEAM TRAINER

TEAM KETCHUM vs. TEAM RESEARCH

"Looks like we're going last," Gary observed before Harry could get back to his explanations.

"The trainers selected to participate in battle will be chosen at random from our generator. Once you've participated in a battle segment, your name is removed from the generator. It is also removed if you took part in the competition that day. So, let's get started!" Up on the screens, four faces from each of Team Brutal and Team Performer appeared on the screen and a roulette of lights began flashing around it, waiting for it to stop on the two trainers that would be battling. After a tense moment of silence, the trainers were selected. "Our first matchup of the day is Team Brutal's Rocky against Team Performer's Portia! My fellow commentators, what are your thoughts on this battle?"

"It's rather hard to tell, isn't it?" Aston said. "Neither of these trainers have participated yet, obviously, and I don't think any of them are well known around the regions."

"Yes, despite being part of Team Performer, I do not recognize zis Portia. Eizer way, I hope zey will have a splendid battle," Pierre concurred with the honorable mayor. From where Serena was seated, she could see the two combatants making their way to different sides of the arena, allowing the Performer to get a good look at the both of them. Portia appeared slightly bored, popping a bubble that matched her light pink hair, which was cut short, making her look slightly tomboyish. Rocky was the exact opposite. He was a muscular boy with a black shirt and a black vest over it. His brown hair looked gelled, but his spiked hair looked nowhere near as large as Brock's. He did wear the recognizable smirk that both Seamus and Travis carried, though. A referee stepped onto the field with a flag.

"All right trainers," Harry called out one more time. "The time limit for the battle is thirty minutes. You are each allowed to use one Pokémon each, with substitutions obviously not allowed. May the best trainer win."

"Come on out, Vaporeon!" Portia cried, sending her pokeball into a wide arc with the water-evolution of Eevee emerging. This drew Serena's attention; obviously she had a Sylveon, herself, but it made her no less interested in Eevee's other evolutionary forms.

"Time to wreck, Rhyperior," Rocky spat. From his pokeball emerged the hulking form of Rhyperior, making it far more intimidating that the diminutive Vaporeon. A bell sounded and the battled began. "Rock Wrecker."

Serena's eyes widened at the absolute force of the move that Rhyperior made, sending a huge chunk of rock flying at Vaporeon. For a moment, she thought it was all over for the water type, until Vaporeon easily danced out of the way. It was no wonder that this Portia girl was a member of Team Performer.

"Ice Beam on those rocks, Vaporeon, make it easy to slip through," Portia said. She may have looked bored, but the passion with which she gave her commands were anything but. Vaporeon leapt up into the air and sent an Ice Beam at the two large rocks that had emerged from the major attack Rhyperior had mounted.

"Stone Edge," Rocky said with another bored wave of his hand. He looked like he just wanted this battle to end; it seemed that all of the members of Team Brutal were insensitive jerkwads. Rhyperior suddenly had stones surrounding it and it sent them all hurtling at Vaporeon. The aquatic Pokémon didn't take a single hit, dodging each stone with relative ease, sometimes even falling behind the rocks on the field for cover.

"Scald, please, Vaporeon," Portia asked. Vaporeon darted out from the cover of the rocks and aimed a Scald at Rhyperior. It hit its mark and Rhyperior was pushed backward, surrounded by steam. The crowd gasped, perhaps surprised that Vaporeon had gotten the first hit in the match.

"That was a nice hit," Aston examined from his spot in the commentator's box.

"Indeed," Professor Sycamore concurred. "Rhyperior's a strong Pokémon, but what it has in strength, it loses in speed. It can't do much if it can't hit it's opponent."

"Hammer Arm," Rocky commanded. From out of the steam, Rhyperior emerged, swinging its arm with tremendous force coming down behind it. The attack almost looked for certain that it was going to hit Vaporeon, until Rhyperior's body was suddenly consumed by flames.

"It's burned?" Bonnie asked in surprise. "But how?"

"Scald is a Water type move that can burn it's opponent," Ash explained to her. "Not only will it keep hurting its opponent, but Rhyperior's attack won't be as strong as before. It's a pretty good strategy."

"Look at you, Ash, talking strategy," Brock teased the Pallet native. "Misty wouldn't believe me if I told her."

"Just watch the battle," Ash sighed, clearly not caring to fight back against Brock's teasing. Serena tried to ignore them both and focus on the intense battle unfolding before them. She didn't hear the command, but Vaporeon suddenly launched a major Ice Beam attack that managed to freeze the entire field, including Rhyperior's feet. Not that the frozen prison lasted long since Rhyperior was so large and had its burn effect still going strong. Rocky commanded another Stone Edge and Rhyperior complied, though Vaporeon was constantly able to keep ahead by leaping across the ice with absolute grace.

"I'm bored," Rocky called in a voice loud enough for all to hear. "Finish this up with Rock Wrecker."

"Freeze the attack with Ice Beam and then use Hydro Pump!" Vaporeon cried out and obeyed its trainer's command, successfully freezing the stone to bits before launching a powerful Hydro Pump at Rhyperior. No one expected the Rock type Pokémon to come charging through the attack and launch another Hammer Arm, or at least, no one expected it to be successful. The attack was a success, though, and Rhyperior slammed into Vaporeon, causing a dust cloud to cover the field. When the cloud faded, Vaporeon was unconscious on the ground.

"Vaporeon is unable to battle. The winner is Rhyperior, which means the battle goes to Rocky and Team Brutal."

"O…One hit…" Brock exclaimed. The rest of the audience was in a state of shock. Even burned, Rhyperior had finished off the graceful Vaporeon in a single hit. Team Brutal may have been a bunch of jerks, but they certainly had strength to back up their claims. The thought unsettled Serena. She was a performer, not a battler. How in the world was she going to be able to compete with that?

"I guess they are pretty strong," Ash admitted, though most of said admission was drowned out by the crowd's cheering. In the end, Vaporeon had simply not been a match for the brute strength of Rhyperior, and everyone knew it. The attention on the battle, thankfully, didn't last too long.

"Well, after that unexpected ending," Harry said with a slight stutter bleeding into his voice, "let's get ourselves started on the second battle of Team Coordinator against Team Trainer."

"That's Shauna's team," Serena pointed out, drawing closer and leaning over the edge for an even better view of the battlefield below. The images on the screen once again began to spin like a roulette until they finally decided on a pair of trainers.

"It's Team Coordinator's May versus Team Trainer's Trent! What kind of battle will these two deliver to us?"

"This should be good," Ash said with a smile. Serena looked at him; he really was in his element here with watching these battles. Truthfully, it wasn't often that she actually got to see Ash  _watch_  a battle. He was usually participating in them, so his eyes lighting up at such a sight was a bit different. He must have doubly enjoyed that one of his friends was going to be taking the field for this battle. Knowing that, Serena turned to the field, eager to watch, while the rules were reiterated for the purposes of the competing trainers.

"Blaziken, on stage!" May called, throwing her pokeball onto the field. Having seen a Blaziken before (albeit its Mega version), she wasn't surprised by the impressive physique of the Pokémon. She  _was_  surprised by how well-groomed it was. Brock appeared to notice her admiration.

"May and Dawn are both Coordinators, so they take place in Contests," Brock exclaimed. "Pokémon appearances are a huge part of appeals, so they have to take good care of them, from the strong to the cute."

"What's a Pokémon Contest?" Bonnie asked, kicking her legs back and forth on her chair. Ash was the one to answer this time as Trent sent a Sawk to duel with May's Blaziken.

"It's kind of like what Serena does…kind of," Ash said. He tilted his head up and bit on the tip of his tongue, obviously deliberating on the right words to use. "If you take the freestyle performance and reduce it to one Pokémon, occasionally just two, you have the appeals section. Then they battle with flashy moves in the second round."

"So May's a competent battler, in other words," Gary concluded for his previous rival. Serena hummed to herself, quite impressed, but looking forward to the battle before them as the bell rang.

"Sawk, run in and use Low Sweep," Trent ordered. The Karate Pokémon nodded and ran at his opponent. Blaziken shifted its stance, waiting for its trainer to give an order.

"Jump into the air to dodge it," May ordered. Blaziken wasted no movement. As soon as Sawk's Low Sweep was about to come into contact with its legs, Blaziken made a great leap into the air. It's jumping power was impressive, almost rivaling Ash's Greninja. "Slam down with Blaze Kick."

"Blaze!" the Blaze Pokémon swung its leg down as it was wreathed in fire. Sawk was unable to move out of the way and the attack hit it dead on.

"Counter with Rock Tomb!" Ash leaned forward, gripping onto the stone with a death grip. From Sawk's mighty hands flew rocks that pelted Blaziken until it dropped to the ground. It wasn't the end for Blaziken, however. May seemed to have given an order because Blaziken came bursting through the rock with a mighty Sky Uppercut that connected with Sawk's jaw and sent it flying across the field. "Bulk Up!"

"Sawk! Sawk!" the blue Pokémon affirmed. A glow surrounded Sawk's body and he suddenly became muscular.

"Fire Spin, Blaziken!" Blaziken finally stood up to its full height and from its mouth unleashed a torrent of fire. Sawk finished its Bulk Up and moved quickly, evading the Fire Spin without any command from its trainer. "Don't let up, run in and use Blaze Kick, followed by a Sky Uppercut."

"Close Combat, Sawk." Both Pokémon ran at each other. Blaziken swung its flaming leg outwards and Sawk's fist connected with it, deflecting the attack. Moments later, Sawk's leg came up in its own attack to slam Blaziken in the side. Blaziken stumbled a little and aimed a Sky Uppercut at its opponent. Sawk countered that with its fist. Serena was unsure of what she saw exactly. The two Fighting types were suddenly locked in a duel of fists and kicks, facilitated by their moves. Neither was backing down an inch, and neither of the trainers was giving any commands either.

"They look like they're evenly matched," Bonnie said. The little girl had left her previous seat to watch the match and was jumping up and down to try and see better. Serena reached down and picked her up underneath her arms to help her onto the stone balcony so she could watch.

"No, May's Blaziken is in the lead," Ash commented, his face serious as he watched the battle. Serena blinked, unsure as to why Ash would make such a claim as the two separated with one last colliding attack. "Look at its stance: even footing, neutral position."

"By comparison, Sawk is looking like its raring up for one final defense or attack, but it can't decide which," Gary concurred. Serena squinted, hoping to see what they were talking about until it became evident to her. Both Pokémon were battered and bruised from their previous connecting punches and kicks, but Blaziken looked almost bored in its stance. Sawk, meanwhile, was anything but.

"Bulk Up, one more time!" Trent ordered his Pokémon.

"We're not giving him the chance, Blaziken. Sky Uppercut!" Blaziken dashed forward, its speed not reduced in the slightest. That speed wasn't enough to match Sawk's Bulk Up speed, allowing the Karate Pokémon to get in one last hit before the end.

"One more Rock Tomb!" Sawk summoned the row of rocks from the ground and hurled them at May's Blaziken. The Blaze Pokémon pushed forward, swatting the rocks aside with multiple Sky Uppercuts, although a few of them broke away to batter the Pokémon. It was over once Blaziken reached Sawk. Its fist connected with Sawk and sent it flying into the air.

"Now, Overheat!"

"Blaze!" Blaziken confirmed and yet another flame gushed forth, this one even more powerful than the last. Being in the air, Sawk had no way of countering or evading the attack, causing the Overheat attack to consume it in a brilliant blaze of fire. More than brilliant, Serena thought, it looked like something out of a Pokémon performance. Sawk hurtled back towards the ground and landed with a mighty crash.

"Sawk is unable to battle. Blaziken is the winner, so the victory goes to May of Team Coordinator!"

"All right, May!" Ash called out cheerily. "Her Blaziken's gotten a lot stronger since we last saw it in Sinnoh."

"Is it that surprising for the 'Princess of Hoenn'?" Brock asked with a little smirk.

"May's a princess?" Bonnie asked with sparkling eyes, in awe of this new fact. Ash laughed at her comment.

"She's about as much a princess as a Miltank," Ash told her.

"Don't let her hear you say that," Gary warned him. "It's just a nickname she got from competing in a bunch of Contests over the years. It's not even close to what the Kalos region would call the Kalos Queen."

Serena thought that would be amusing, and educational, to watch. If May's Blaziken were to go up against Aria's Delphox, it would be certain to result in a phenomenal battle. That made Serena think of her own Braixen. By no means was her Braixen a slouch, but she always felt like it could never match up to any of her companions' Pokémon in terms of strength. Ash had traveled with so many strong trainers, and now she was starting to feel like her own Pokémon were just…inadequate. It almost made her question why Ash had let her stay with him all this time.

In the midst of this self-doubt, the roulette on the trainers began to spin, selecting the final competitors of the day. The surprise was when they stopped. "The final match for today is Team Ketchum's Serena against Team Research's Conway!"

"What? It's me?" Serena asked in a state of astonishment.

"Good luck out there, Serena," Ash encouraged her. Even Bonnie was jumping up and down in a cheer. Serena was just trying to wrap her head around the fact that she would be competing on the first day. "Don't worry, you'll do great."

"Right…" Serena chuckled out nervously. Somehow, she wasn't quite as sure. Steeling herself with a breath, Serena exited the stands and made her way down the silent hallway, echoing only with cheers of all the spectators outside. Supposedly this Conway had been one of Ash's rivals…which meant that he was strong. Unsure if she would be able to stand up against such a strong trainer, Serena almost tumbled in her steps. Then a reassuring thought hit her: Ash and the others were supporting her. "That's right…I'm not alone. I'll win this for them. For Ash."

Holding her head high, Serena walked proudly onto the field, her hand already reaching for the Pokémon she was going to use as she ascended the steps to the actual battlefield. Overhead, Harry was once more explaining the rules of the match, but having heard them twice before, Serena didn't care. She just continually fingered her pokeball, ready to begin. On the other side, Conway adjusted his glasses with a menacing chuckle. Silence filled Serena's mind. She just had to treat this like a performance, only this time she had a clear opponent…and she knew the perfect partner to help her achieve this. The bell rang.

"Come on out, Pancham!"

"Let's do some research, Dusknoir." Both Pokémon emerged on the field at the exact same time, and Serena wasn't willing to waste a move.

"Pancham, start out with Dark Pulse!" Pancham, realizing it was in an actual battle, kept its light footwork to a minimum as it sent a Dark Pulse at Conway's Dusknoir. The attack struck head on, forcing the Gripper Pokémon back. Conway was adjusting his glasses again as Serena pumped her fist. "Let's keep it up. Stone Edge!"

"Pan Pancham!" Pancham flipped forward and slammed the ground, making the stones jut up in a straight line towards Dusknoir.

"Heh heh heh…Shadow Punch," Conway said, still adjusting those infernal glasses of his. At this point, Serena wasn't sure if he was trying to be creepy, intimidate her, or just didn't realize that he was doing it. Dusknoir moved forward slowly, but with a great deal of power behind it, its shadowy fist colliding with Stone Edge, sending the final stone shattering into pieces.

"No giving up, Pancham. Dance around the field and use Stone Edge multiple times," Serena ordered. Pancham flipped to the side, once more sending a Stone Edge out. Dusknoir responded with the same manner of attack that it had used before, eventually leaving the whole entire battlefield covered in stones.

"You obviously seem to be a one-trick trainer," Conway commented to her from across the battlefield. "Using the same move multiple times does not a strategy make."

"Then you've obviously never seen how a Performer works," Serena taunted back. Behind her, she could hear the cheers of her teammates shouting encouragement. "It's all about the setup before the conclusion. Pancham, dance on the stones straight for Dusknoir."

"Pan pan," Pancham cried out, flipping up onto one of the nearby stones.

"That does nothing if you can't get near. We'll see you coming," Conway assured her.

"Switch it up and launch a Dark Pulse at Dusknoir!" Pancham acquiesced by firing off a Dark Pulse in the middle of one of its flips. Like before, Dusknoir was unable to dodge and took the hit head on. Bit by bit, Serena was growing more and more confident. Dusknoir was slow and Pancham was able to keep hitting it with impunity. All she needed to do now was get in close for the coup de grace. "All right, Pancham, let's finish up."

"Pan cham cham!" Pancham replied in the affirmative, flipping as quickly as it could from stone to stone. Dusknoir was turning as quickly as it could, trying to keep a bead on Pancham. However, the Playful Pokémon kept ahead of it and was able to circle behind and attack it with a powerful Dark Pulse. Dusknoir was still standing, though, and Pancham flipped away to avoid the attack.

"Well, now I understand your battle strategy…" Conway once more played with his glasses. That tic of his was starting to get on Serena's nerves. "Trick Room."

"Dusknoir…" the Gripper Pokémon called out and the glowing tiles of Trick Room surrounded the battlefield. Serena's eyes widened. She hadn't seen that coming. Pancham was in the middle of a flip when his speed was suddenly reduced. He missed his mark and began a slow tumble to the ground.

"Alternate between Shadow Punch and Thunder Punch," Conway directed his Pokémon.

"No, Pancham, you have to get up!" Serena yelled, hoping that Pancham could somehow muster the speed to move. A horrible feeling settled into the pit of Serena's stomach and she thought of how Ash had managed to break out of this same attack back at the Laverre City gym. Only…Pancham couldn't get into the air, and he didn't have quite the piercing attack necessary. "We can't give up. Pancham, Arm Thrust on the rocks!"

Pancham did as his trainer commanded, and the rocks shattered into many pieces, flying every which way. A number of them struck Dusknoir, buying a little bit of time for Pancham to start getting up. That time wasn't enough under the effects of Trick Room and Dusknoir reached Pancham far faster than even Pancham had reached it outside of the Trick Room. A lightning-imbued fist struck Pancham, flinging it into the air, before a Shadow Punch knocked it even further. Tears started coming to Serena's eyes; she couldn't watch this happening to Pancham. Just before she was about to ask Conway to make his Dusknoir stop, the Gripper Pokémon used one last Thunder Punch to slam Pancham into the ground, knocking it out. The Trick Room faded, allowing Serena to run forward and grab Pancham.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to get you hurt this way…" she apologized, oblivious to Conway standing nearby, calling his Dusknoir back. He adjusted his glasses once more.

"A good battle. I learned much from it," he complimented her. Serena hardly wanted to hear it, but she nodded out of respect anyway.

"That's it for day one folks. If you'll join me in looking at the scoreboard." Harry's words were unwanted, but made Serena look up at the scoreboard, anyway. She wished she hadn't.

TEAM BRUTAL 10

TEAM COORDINATOR 7

TEAM RESEARCH 6

TEAM TRAINER 4

TEAM PERFORMER 3

TEAM KETCHUM 0

"Wow, that's pretty pathetic to end up without a single point by the end of the day," Serena could hear someone in the crowd saying. It made her shrink just a little, cradling Pancham's unconscious body to her. She had lost. She had made them have zero points. She had let them down.

"And that final battle," said another voice in the crowd, "she couldn't even anticipate a Trick Room."

"Her Pancham couldn't do enough damage to the Dusknoir, what did you expect?"

"Team Ketchum's looking like a bunch of losers. My money's on Team Brutal." It was so harsh, with every comment growing more and more callous by the second. Not wanting Pancham to hear such nasty sentiments, she returned her Pokémon to its pokeball and just stayed in the arena, collapsed to her knees. Up above, the crowds were starting to clear out, some of them probably looking at a pathetic sight like her.

"Hey, there's no need to cry," said a soft voice next to her. Serena blinked, unable to look the owner of the voice in the face. Something warm nuzzled up against her, and Serena gave a sad smile to the comforting Pikachu.

"I let you down," Serena insisted. "I'm always holding you back. You'd probably qualify for the Pokémon League by now if it weren't for my Showcases. Now I can't even score our team a single point."

"You were up against a really good trainer, Serena. There's no shame in losing a tough battle, because it makes the joy of winning one even better," Ash told her kindly. He walked around so that she had no choice but to look at him. "Zero points is nothin'. You did great out there, and we'll make it all up tomorrow. You'll see."

"But…" Serena was unsure of exactly what she should say, so she looked up at Ash and saw him smiling brilliantly.

"What's our motto now, Serena?" Serena swallowed and choked back the tears that were coming to her eyes.

"Never give up until it's over."

"Exactly. It's not over yet, so I won't let you give up," he assured her. At that moment, he held out his hand to her. Pikachu left her side and bounced back onto Ash's shoulder. "We're heading straight for the top, and nothing will stop us."

"Y-yeah…Definitely," Serena finally agreed. She allowed a smile to stretch her face, but felt the tears already starting to fall down it. Ash leaned forward and took her hand, pulling her up. Her old memory flared up at the feeling of Ash helping her up, like a vivid reminder of their first meeting. She pitched forward and collapsed into his arms. As an act of comfort, Ash wrapped his arms around her as the tears continued to fall down her face. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…Please forgive me, Pancham…I'm sorry…"

And Ash and Pikachu just held her until the tears faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I hope you all liked my battles. I enjoyed coming up with them, but it makes it no less difficult to do so! Anyway, our heroes are certainly on the back foot here, huh? Will they be able to recover on day two? Will Clemont and Serena continue to beat themselves up over admirable battles that they lost (okay, Chespin's stomach wasn't that admirable, but still). What do you guys think of Team Brutal? Ah, who cares about my rambling?! That said, hope you all enjoyed the Amourshipping moment at the end of the chapter there.
> 
> In case you're wondering why Serena was so upset…well, she really feels upset that she couldn't command Pancham well enough to the point it got beaten so horribly. Then there's the fact that the audience practically ripped at her. That would be enough to make anyone cry.
> 
> I'm enjoying writing and delivering this story at such a fast pace for you, and I hope you all are too. If you are, let me know in a Review and always Dare to Be Silly.


	6. A Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am making the official announcement this chapter that this story is technically AU as of XY107. The simple reason is, Ash has Noibat and they're heading towards Snowbelle City not Glorio City, which happens in XY108. Thus, it takes place after XY107 but before XY108. Enough announcing, time for Chapter 6!

Chapter 6

A Moment

"Such a bore…" the girl said with a yawn. The day's events had been so unentertaining, the teenager almost wasn't sure if she should watch the next few days. Flinging herself on the stone at the top of the stadium, she looked up at the sky. It almost felt like old times. The stone and the sky. If it weren't for such loud people down in the stadium, she would have almost considered it peaceful. "Ugh, why'd they have to insist on this? It's so pointless."

A chime sounded out from her belt and the teenager sat up, whipping out the small device. On it was a brief message, but it was enough to snap her out of her boredom. The meeting time was set. That was worth something. The girl stood up tall, still unnoticed by anyone in the stadium, and stretched her arms wide to the sky, sucking in the fresh air. Maybe this tournament wasn't so bad, after all. Who knew what the second day could bring?

She took one last look down into the stadium and saw the loser of the most recent battle. It had been a pretty tight battle, but her obvious lack of knowledge when it came to Trick Room was her downfall. More interesting than that, however, was the boy that was holding her. She wasn't sure if it was platonic or downright romantic, but he seemed to have a particular fire that burned as he held her. The boy hadn't competed that day, but she somehow felt he was different.

"Guess I'll be looking forward to your battle in the future," she said to no one. Then she walked to the edge of the stadium and began climbing down its walls with speed. "Hope you're watching, 'cause I think this tournament might get real interesting."

Then she was gone, fading into the setting sun.

* * *

Ash was strangely quiet.

More than that, the entire team was far too quiet from what would be considered their usual disposition. This was all the more starkly contrasted by the sounds of clinking and clanking from spectators having dinner. Thankfully, most of them left the team alone. Except for Team Coordinator, of course.

"Is Serena, all right?" Shauna asked, running up breathlessly. Tierno and Trevor were right behind her as she skidded to a stop, causing all three to slam into each other and tumble over.

"They're in our room," Bonnie said, only she didn't sound at all cheery as she said it. Ash turned, realizing just how sad Bonnie looked. She had tried to cheer Clemont up earlier, but he was too busy working on one of his inventions. He even skipped dinner. The worst was Serena. After Ash helped her leave the arena, with her tears still dripping onto his jacket, she asked to be alone for a little while. He wanted to protest and go with her, but she insisted, only returning in the middle of dinner to go up to her room. She hadn't come down since.

"Oh…we were gonna ask if they wanted to go to the Lantern Festival with us," Shauna lamented. "I know we're combating teams, but it doesn't mean we can't hang out together, does it?"

"A festival sounds like a great idea," Brock insisted, getting to his feet and stretching. "We need something to cheer us up."

"I'll pass," Gary said with a wave of his hand. "I'm not really into lanterns."

"Don't be like that Poetry Guy's Grandson," Dawn said, she and May finally coming to stand by the rest of their team. Gary wrinkled his nose in displeasure at the nickname Dawn was still using. "We can all go together, right, Ash?"

"Huh?" Ash asked. He looked up to see that Dawn had sat in a chair next to him, brushing her blue hair back. She was smiling at him, but Ash was so lost in thought about the events of the day that he hardly noticed.

"You're even more spaced out than usual, Ash," Dawn giggled out. "It's been so long, I was hoping that we could catch up, but it looks like you have some things on your mind."

"Something like that," Ash chuckled. "But never mind that. I wanna hear all about your adventures in Johto. You, too, May. How've you both been?"

"Don't worry about us," May said, herself taking a seat next to Bonnie. "Your team had a rough time out there today."

"We all did, May," Dawn insisted. "Your friend Clemont's pretty competent. Another moment and he would have taken Buneary out of the battle. If it weren't for that Alakazam messing everyone over, I think your team would have done a lot better."

"That Alakazam was scary," Bonnie admitted. Ash's attention was on the conversation now and he looked to Bonnie. She may have said it was scary, but it was obvious that it was more of a "nasty" scary than a "frightful" one. May turned to the blonde girl at her comment.

"Traveling with younger kids again, Ash?" May asked.

"Oh, yeah. This is Bonnie, she's Clemont's little sister…I guess she does remind me of Max a little. What's he up to?" Ash asked. His mind was still elsewhere, but with Pikachu chasing Dedenne around the dining hall he figured he might as well catch up with his old friends.

"Helping dad at the gym," May answered. "He's always looking forward to starting his journey, though. How've you been, Brock?"

"Busy. Pokémon Medical School is replete with challenges."

"So…are we all goin' to this Lantern Festival or what?" Tierno interrupted, twirling around on his feet a little. The group appeared to blink simultaneously, looking at the trio that was standing there expectantly.

"Well, can't hurt," Dawn said with a sigh. "Why don't we catch up later? You coming with, Ash?"

"Um…Actually, I think I should go and make sure Serena's okay," Ash admitted, scratching his nose a little in embarrassment. Dawn smiled at him.

"Well, that's okay. Pikachu, do you want to hang out with me and Piplup?"

"Pi Pikachu chu!" The electric Mouse Pokémon responded in the affirmative, scampering up to join Dawn on her shoulder. He looked expectantly at his trainer who just nodded his acceptance. He knew he could trust Dawn with Pikachu. Dawn's Piplup climbed upward and he and Pikachu reunited again with a great hug.

"All right!" May cried. "Bonnie, right? You want to join us?"

"Well…my brother…"

"Go ahead, Bonnie," Ash told her. "I'll tell Clemont where you've gone, so he doesn't worry. May will take good care of you; she has her own younger sibling."

"Okay, then. Come on, Dedenne!" The Fairy type skittered along the floor and crawled back into Bonnie's bag while the group started heading for the exit. Bonnie gave one last wave to Ash and they were gone. Gary was the only one remaining.

"You should get her something to eat," Gary suggested while he stood, himself. Ash looked towards his oldest friend. "Serena's probably hungry. I'm not too concerned about Clemont, but Serena may not eat anything unless its fed to her at this point."

"Where are you going?" Ash asked, now standing on his feet as well.

"I'm going to go train a little and contact my grandfather. We need to make up lost points tomorrow, so I want to be ready," Gary admitted. Ash couldn't disagree with that assessment, so he nodded and let Gary head off towards the phones. He also decided that Gary's advice was actually really good. Ash ran over to where the food was being served and got a full plate of the things that he knew Serena would like. Before he sauntered off to the elevator, Ash took out his pokeballs and called his team out.

"Hey, you guys. Go have fun at the Festival with the others," Ash said. "Hawlucha, look after Noibat for me, okay?"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha called and he and Greninja led the crew out of the hotel. Smiling at his frolicking Pokémon, Ash finished his journey to the elevator that brought him up to the floor their room was on. Seconds later he was in the all but deserted room.

"Serena," Ash said quietly, afraid of scaring the poor girl. Clemont was nowhere to be seen, and since the bathroom light wasn't on, Ash figured that he must have gone out at some point.  _Probably testing his newest invention_ , Ash thought to himself. When his eyes finished scanning the room, Ash saw Serena on her bed, Pancham and Sylveon curled up against her while Braixen kept a lazy vigil by leaning against the bed. Ash smiled and approached. Though he could still see where the tears had fallen, Serena looked at peace now, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. It almost looked…cute. Ash reached forward and clasped her shoulder, shaking it a little.

"Mmm…" Serena mumbled out, turning over and grabbing Ash's hand in her sleep. Funnily enough, that seemed to actually wake her up. "Oh, Ash…it's you."

"Yep! Brought you some dinner," Ash said kindly, placing the tray on her lap as she sat up. "I'm sure you're hungry."

"I am, I guess," Serena said. She accepted the silverware from Ash and dug into the food. Her Pokémon stole little bits of it, but otherwise Serena ate in silence. Ash pulled up a chair that was in the room and sat next to her bed, watching her eat comfortably. When she finished, she pushed the plate away. "You're not…mad at me, are you, Ash?"

"Why would I be?" Ash asked, genuinely confused on why she would think that.

"I let the team down, and-"

"Stop that right now," Ash said sternly, his hand moving with a mind of its own to cover her mouth. Serena was clearly taken aback by his unexpected action because she seemed to start blushing. He still didn't remove his hand. "It's just a tournament, Serena. You did your best out there. More than that, you were amazing. There's no reason to think you let me, or anyone else down. Besides, you'll get another chance to prove your stuff in the tournament. There's always tomorrow."

"Mmm…can you remove your hand?" Serena squeaked out, her voice infinitely higher than usual. Ash smiled sheepishly and did as she asked. Serena's face started to diminish in its redness. "You know…you're always so sweet."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but I don't get it," Ash admitted. He looked away from Serena for a moment and glanced out the window where lanterns appeared to be rising into the sky, bathing the city in a glow of orange and red. Serena giggled a little. "I'm glad that you seem to be feeling better."

"Yeah. Thanks for cheering me up," she said. Serena swung her legs off the bed and stood once again. She shuffled on her feet for a moment, like she was trying to figure something out until she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. This threw Ash for a loop and he whipped his head to look at her, only to find that she was facing away from him. "Don't ever change, Ash…and…stay with me, please."

Ash was surprised by such a statement and request, but he couldn't help himself from smiling. "Always, Serena."

* * *

"It's day two of the Kalos Team Tournament, and you all know that Ancien City is the place you want to be!" Harry Kalas called to the already cheering crowd. The second day of the tournament had dawned as beautifully as it had the day before. Now that the tournament was in full swing, though, the stands were more packed than ever. From the stands, Serena stood with her teammates and Bonnie. She felt much better from yesterday; Ash cheering her up had had a huge impact on her and her psyche. Even Clemont was feeling better. Not that he would be able to show any worrisome emotions with the way Bonnie was prattling on.

"They were so pretty Clemont!" Bonnie chattered on for what was her fifth retelling of the story. "And the lady at the lantern stand was pretty. I asked her to look after you, but she said she already had a boyfriend."

"Bonnie, I wish you would stop doing that. It's so embarrassing…" Clemont said, rubbing his cheeks, as though trying to expel the blush from them.

"Was it that much fun?" Ash asked Brock, now feeling a little like he shouldn't have missed that day's festivities.

"It was kind of fun. Pikachu seemed to have a lot of fun hanging out with Piplup," the Pokémon doctor answered.

"No surprise there."

"Today our morning's competition will be 'Glide Climbing'!" Harry yelled, drawing Team Ketchum's attention back to the tournament proper. The stadium shook, just as it had before the competition yesterday. Serena, standing next to Ash, leaned over simultaneously to see what was going on in the arena below. It was even more expansive than the day before. Almost the entire stadium floor was entirely replaced, a large climbing wall emerging from the ground. From the sides of the stadium shot cables that attached to the wall. Serena took a look at where they were shooting from and saw that there were climbing stones on the walls of the stadium and a number of baskets set alongside those same sides and on top of the pillar-like climbing wall.

"Teams, please choose your participating Pokémon!" Harry called.

"All right, I'm up for this!" Ash yelled.

"Pikachu!" his companion cried with gusto. Just as he was about to run down to the stadium, Gary held a hand out.

" _I'll_  take this," he said. Ash stopped in his tracks and nearly fell down. "We need to make up lost points. I may not know the rules of this game, but from the looks of it, I have an idea. I'll get us caught up again."

"Aw…but I wanted to compete," Ash expressed. Serena put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can go out tomorrow, Ash," she said to him. Ash put on his best pouting face as he looked at her. It was hard for Serena to not give in to that, but she held on to her conviction. "Gary looks like he can handle this."

"All right…fine…" Gary nodded at Ash's acceptance and he strode out of the stands. The next they saw him, he was approaching the base of the climbing wall with trainers from the other teams.

"Our trainers are chosen!" Harry cried out to the crowd. "From Team Brutal, it's Travis. Team Coordinator sends out Trevor, Research sends out Edwin, and Team Performer sends Alice. We also have Jael from Team Trainer and Gary from Team Ketchum. Team Brutal is in the lead, but what kind of tournament might we see from this round. Mayor Aston, as one of the leading architects behind the stadium in its building days, can you explain how this competition will work."

"Of course," Aston chuckled out. "The Ancien City Stadium was built as a means to host all kind of competitions. I was a budding architect at the time and I had the idea of implementing a climbing wall into the design. That's what gave birth to this competition this year.

"Trainers will climb the walls on both the center monolith and the sides of the stadium. On the sides of the stadium wall are seven different kinds of orbs in the baskets. At the top of the monolith are the same colored baskets that the trainers used yesterday. Each trainer must place one of each type of orb in their basket at the top. The first to do so scores full points. Of course, this isn't easy for any of the trainers since the sides of the stadium and the monolith are quite a distance apart. Trainers and their Pokémon can, therefore, use the cables connecting the two things to slide back and forth. It's an impressive blend of balancing upward movement with side movement, and you need to be careful of the other competitors."

"Well said, Mr. Mayor," Harry said in agreement. "That said, each trainer is allowed the use of only one Pokémon and no flyers or Psychic types are allowed to partake. That would certainly be an unfair advantage."

"Everyone do your best," Professor Sycamore said to the crowd. At his words, the trainers all tossed their pokeballs into the air. Serena was looking at Gary first and noticed that he called an Electivire out, the Pokémon looking extremely confident. Travis from Team Brutal had brought out a Primeape while Trevor had called out his Charmeleon, as expected. Alice of Team Performer had called out a Dragonair, Edwin had called out what looked to be a Tentacruel and it was rounded off with a Breloom from Jael. Once their Pokémon were called out, each trainer readied themselves against different sides of the monolith.

"You can begin at the Hyper Beam!" Kalas cried out. Like usual, only a few seconds passed before the attack fired outward.

"Come on Gary and Electivire! Show 'em your stuff!" Ash yelled right next to her ear. Behind her, Bonnie was getting in the spirit and cheering their team on as well.

"You can do it!" Serena yelled next, looking down to see Gary and Electivire begin their climb. The screens that were displaying the other sides of the monolith saw the other trainers beginning their climbs, as well. At the moment, it looked as though Gary, Travis and Jael were taking the leads. That was somehow no surprise to Serena; what was surprising was the fact that Trevor was only trailing a little behind them.

"Electivire, use your tail on that cable and pull us over," Gary commanded. The brunet trainer was only partway up the wall, but Electivire had no problem in latching one of its tails over to the cable and pulling Gary up with it. "Make both your tails like a hang glider."

"Tentacruel, let's follow that suggestion," Edwin called out, having seen Gary's example. Gary smirked, climbing up on top of Electivire to grab onto the rope.

"Hook on over and use your electricity on the cable that Tentacruel is on," Gary told his Pokémon, though it was clearly loud enough to hear. Electivire grunted with an affirmative and left its trainer. Gary slid down the cable and landed safely on the wall. On the other side, the monitor showed that Travis was finally in a position to actually reach his cable without any help from his Pokémon.

"Go to the top, Primeape, and beat back any trainer and Pokémon that comes near the baskets," he ordered. Serena frowned; typical Team Brutal tactics as usual, though she couldn't deny that said tactics would likely be successful in gaining a win. Meanwhile, Gary had climbed over to the nearby wall basket and grabbed the first orb from it. After shoving it in a pocket, he then began shuffling along the wall back towards his Electivire. On other sides of the monolith, Alice and her Dragonair were struggling to climb, with Dragonair unable to get much traction on the walls. Eventually, the blonde girl seemed to order her Pokémon to stay put while she completed the task on her own. It became pretty obvious to Serena that Team Performer was not on track to win this round. On the other hand, Jael and his Breloom were making very good time in an attempt to get as close to the top as possible.

Serena shifted her vision and she saw Electivire reach the very cable that both Edwin and his Tentacruel were on. Gary was continuing his climb across the stadium wall. Just as he was about to reach Electivire once again, the Thunderbolt Pokémon sent an electric current through its tails. Of course, since Edwin and Tentacruel were on the thin metal cables, they conducted more than enough electricity to send them down below. Tentacruel hit the ground first, ultimately cushioning Edwin's blow. It had been harsh, but it allowed Gary to get back on the cable and swing back to the monolith. Plus, Tentacruel seemed dazed, but unharmed.

"Let's swing on the cables like they're bars at a jungle gym," Gary asked of Electivire. "I'll get the orbs and then we'll make our way back up. Keep the other Pokémon from taking shots at me."

Electivire replied in the affirmative, though Serena noted that most trainers weren't really paying attention to their opponents at the moment. Most of them were just trying to maintain even footing. Gary slid back down a different cable to the monolith and he climbed along until he found the next cable that could be taken to a set of two baskets.

"He's quite good at this, isn't he?" Serena asked with a finger on her chin. She was quite amazed by how he and Electivire were able to keep an equal pace with each other even while climbing.

"Gary's a researcher," Ash reminded her. "Sometimes that means having to do physical activities like climbing. He was also a traveling trainer like me beforehand, so I'm sure he had to climb some stuff in Johto."

"He's looking pretty good," Brock commented. Clemont joined them now, leaving Bonnie to her never-ending cheers.

"He's just got to look out for that Primeape." Serena wasn't quite so sure about that. Both Jael and his Breloom had reached the top of the monolith where Primeape was waiting for them. The Pig Monkey went on the attack, but it looked like Breloom had been prepared.

"Stun Spore, Breloom!" Breloom sent its spores out like a sickly, yellow haze, hitting Primeape before it had the chance to retaliate. It stumbled and Breloom moved in with a Mach Punch on its trainer's orders. Primeape went sailing into the wall of the coliseum and it slid down to the ground, leaving Travis on his own to collect his orbs. Jael, having reached the top, took the uppermost cable towards his first set of orbs.

Every trainer was following a different strategy. Gary was currently going back and forth between the center monolith and the outer wall, cutting back on time as much as possible. Meanwhile, Electivire would help him out as best as it could. Trevor's strategy was to continue his own climb up the wall while Charmeleon was collecting the orbs for him. Jael was clearly going back and forth from the top of the monolith to the wall baskets. It looked like it was putting him in the lead, but he had finally deposited his fourth orb when Gary had collected his seventh and had made his way back to the main pillar. Travis appeared to have gotten there at the same exact time. He noticed the amount of orbs automatically, from what Serena could tell.

"Boy, you guys are trying real hard, aren't you?" Travis said. Having collected his own decent number of orbs (albeit less than Gary), he was ascending at the same time as the brunet researcher.

"Of course I am," Gary said. Electivire had rejoined him, helping his trainer up the monolith as best as he could. "We're in this to win it, after all."

"Why bother? It's not like you can catch up to us!" Travis taunted, keeping himself at an even pace with Gary. Up above, Jael was depositing his fifth orb into his basket. Serena briefly flicked her eyes down below to see that Alice was making a slow progress without her Dragonair but was better off than the passed out Edwin and Tentacruel. Gary turned from his position and his smirk could be seen on all the monitors.

"You've got that backwards," Gary said, loud enough for the entire stadium to hear. "You can't catch up to us."

"Have you not noticed our point difference?" Travis asked in exasperation. "Even if you win this competition and we totally lose it, we still have a five-point lead. What's the probability of you overcoming that?"

"Five points is nothing," Gary stated, putting his hand up to the next ledge. Bit by bit, he was pulling himself up. Serena was growing more nervous by the second, clasping her ribbon tightly with her left hand. Ash appeared to notice her trepidation because he kindly put a hand over her free one and squeezed it lightly, as if a reassurance. "You know…I used to be just like you."

"What?"

"I used to think more was better," Gary said. Travis had all but stopped moving now, while Gary continued his climb. There was some strain in his voice, but he kept going. "More Pokémon. More badges. More everything. Then, one day, I got beaten so badly that it almost made me give up. But my Pokémon…they encouraged me to keep going. All those Pokémon that I had sought to get more of, thinking it would make me stronger if I didn't care about them individually but looked at them as a small part of a growing collection…they held their faith in me. I knew I had to change, so I did. I bonded with my Pokémon on an intense personal level and I came to realize that having more means nothing.

"Like I said, five points is nothing. Because if Ash could beat me by focusing individually on his Pokémon against my practical army, then we can blast ahead of your five points by working together as a team."

"That just sounds stupid!"

"I don't care if it does!" Gary announced, his voice heard extremely clearly as he pulled himself to the top of the ledge. "We're not giving up until the end. Until our last Pokémon goes down, our fight's going on. Team Ketchum's winning it all!"

As a triumphant statement, Gary slammed all seven of the orbs into their team's basket and raised his fist into the air. Ash mimicked his friend and Serena led the others in doing so as well. It had been tight, but it was sign of their victory. Euphoria filled the stands. Whether Gary's speech had made an impact on them didn't matter; all of their team knew it was meant to encourage them. Serena looked with a smile to Ash, no longer paying attention to the rest of the competition, and she saw that he actually had tears in his eyes. She didn't ask him why. The bell rang shortly, signaling the end of the competition and Serena turned to the scoreboard.

TEAM BRUTAL 12

TEAM COORDINATOR 10

TEAM TRAINER 8

TEAM RESEARCH 6

TEAM KETCHUM 5

TEAM PERFORMER 4

"Hey, we're not in last place anymore!" Bonnie cheered. "We're heading up, Dedenne!"

"De ne ne!" Dedenne cheered with its caretaker. Serena smiled at the sight of Bonnie twirling around for fun until she felt Ash sling an arm over her shoulder.

"You see, Serena," he said breathlessly, like his excitement might actually stop him from breathing, "I told you that today was a new day, and we're back on track."

"Right!" Serena said, making sure her own smile overshadowed her very flushed face. It still didn't cut away the remarks that the audience had made yesterday, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from doing her best whenever she was next up. Ash removed his hand and started heading back towards the waiting room.

"Let's have a victory lunch," Clemont expressed, being the next to follow after Ash. Bonnie skipped after her older brother and Brock and Serena were bringing up the rear. Serena couldn't quite figure Brock out with how silent he was being. Other than their first night where she learned a bit about him, she found he didn't talk much other than a comment on the battles or the competition taking place. That suited her fine, but she really did want to get to know Ash's old friends better. Maybe she shouldn't have skipped dinner with them last night.

"Okay, okay…" Gary was laughing from inside the waiting room as they approached it. As Brock pushed the door opened, she could see Gary caught in a one armed hug by Ash and Bonnie was jumping for joy in front of him. At the researcher's words, she shifted her attention to his Electivire.

"It's so cool," she said in awe. Dedenne seemed to think so, too, because it ran up to stand on Electivire's shoulder and have a conversation with it. "You're pretty cool, too, Gary."

"Your speech was very nice," Serena said softly. Gary rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed by the attention he was getting.

Obviously not used to it, Gary threw off Ash's arm and turned away as the lunch cart was rolled in. "Let's just get some lunch."

That day's lunch was much more lively and exuberant than the day prior. They even called out most of their Pokémon to join them for lunch and Serena got her first look at Brock's Pokémon other than his Croagunk.

"Oh, you brought Ludicolo, huh?" Ash asked, greeting all of his old traveling partner's companions. Ludicolo shook Ash's hands like it was doing a little dance. "It's great to see you guys, too, Sudowoodo and Chansey."

"Sudowoodo!"

"Chan chansey!"

"They look so well taken care of," Serena commented, kneeling down to look at Chansey. She had heard from Ash that in most other regions, Chansey were the definitive partner of Nurse Joy and it made sense now why Brock wanted to become a doctor. "Do you groom them often?"

"Often enough, though probably nowhere near the level you Pokémon Performers need to," Brock answered with a chuckle. "And besides, most of my Pokémon take very good care of themselves…especially Croagunk."

Serena looked and saw the Poison Pokémon was busy staring at the blank television in the room, like it was starting at its own reflection. Truth be told, she found it a little creepy, but at the same time Croagunk almost seemed like a sweetheart. "Well, I think your Pokémon look amazing."

"Thanks for the compliment, Serena," Brock said with a wink. That caused Serena to laugh while Ash sat back down next to her with a particularly audible scoff. She didn't know why he made such a sound, and was about to ask when Brock said, "If you want, I can show you some grooming tips from an ex-Pokémon breeder later."

"That sounds wonderful!" As soon as she expressed her joy at this, the bell for the afternoon portion of the tournament began to ring. Each of the trainers packed up their Pokémon and their lunches before returning to the stands. Once every team seemed to be back into position in the stands, Harry began to start announcing yet again.

"It's the afternoon of day two of the Kalos Team Tournament, and you know what that means," Kalas yelled to the energetic crowd. "It's battle time! Please turn your attention to the screen to see today's team matchups."

TEAM KETCHUM vs. TEAM COORDINATOR

TEAM BRUTAL vs. TEAM RESEARCH

TEAM PERFORMER vs. TEAM TRAINER

"We're up first," Ash said excitedly. Right after he mentioned that, the roulette started up on the screen with only three images up. Serena realized she was now excluded, as was Gary, as they began to cycle through. Ash practically got on his knees with Pikachu. "Come on, battle! Come on, battle!"

The ding sounded and everyone looked to the screen, only for Ash and Brock's mouths to practically fall open.

"Our first match of the day is Brock of Team Ketchum," Harry announced, "against Dawn of Team Coordinator. Will the trainers now step down to the arena?"

Serena blinked as Brock waved at them. It wasn't completely unexpected, but Serena was just a little excited to see two trainers, no, two old friends battle it out. Ash's statement summed up her thoughts.

"This is going to be one great battle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I realized (well before) that Brock was hardly interacting with the Kalos group, so part of this was remedying that. Most importantly, though, was the second day of the tournament. I liked what I came up with the competition and I hope that you all did, as well. The last two competitions, hopefully, will be just as exciting. In either case, I still had some wonderful development on the Amourshipping front and next chapter promises to be even better.
> 
> For some fun conversation here, I was watching some videos the other day and, my goodness, I found the most hilariously adorable dance of Pikachu. If you haven't seen it, just go on YouTube and put in Pikachu Dance. Also, I recommend PokemonRangerBoy12's channel on YouTube, since his Pokemon XY Crack video was what originally made me find this awesome dance. His is a great channel for XYZ reviews and some awesome Amourshipping AMVs.
> 
> Your love for this story keeps me wanting to write and deliver even better material. Please stick with me to the very end! In the meantime, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	7. A Step

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for more action! Time for more rivalries! Time for more Amourshipping romance! Most importantly, though, time for Chapter 7!

Chapter 7

A Step

"Are you ready folks?" Harry called, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Down below, Brock had stepped onto the field along with Dawn, and the two were walking toward one another. Even though neither held animosity in their body language, the two former traveling partners weren't smiling. "It's time for Brock versus Dawn, and it promises a most exciting battle."

"Good luck to you, Dawn," Brock said, his voice carrying to his team's section in the stands. Serena watched intently. Like May before her, Dawn was a Coordinator as well, which made her someone to watch. The honey blonde was certain she could pick up some wonderful tips.

"You too, Brock, and no need to worry. I'm gonna win it," Dawn told him. The two reached out and shook each other's hands before returning to their respective sides of the arena.

"You all know the drill," Harry started to explain for the benefit of the crowd. "You're allowed the use of one Pokémon and a thirty-minute time limit. Let's begin!"

"Togekiss, spotlight!" Dawn cried, tossing her pokeball into the air, from which a Togekiss emerged in a dazzling display. Not recognizing the Pokémon, Serena scanned it with her Pokédex while Brock sent his Croagunk out. Serena frowned.

"Doesn't Togekiss have the advantage over Croagunk?" she asked, surprised at such a type matchup. Clemont adjusted his glasses, leaning in to examine the battlefield.

"It is a rather bizarre choice," he observed. Ash just brought them into another group hug. Serena found that he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Pikachu hopped from his partner's shoulder to the edge of the stands. Dedenne joined him.

"Pika-Chu! Pika pika chu chu Pikachu!"

"Pikachu's right, guys. Brocko's always got a plan," Ash said with a grin. "Just watch! Go get 'er, Brock. You can tone it down, Dawn!"

"Don't try to tell me to lose, Ash!" Dawn yelled up at him. Ash threw his head back and laughed while the crowd seemed to also find it amusing. Serena's frown was carved in deeper; it was so easy for Ash to converse with his old girlfriends-no, just friends. And she wasn't jealous…definitely not…at least, she hoped she wasn't. She really didn't want to resent Ash's friends just because they were girls who likely knew him better than she did. The bell rang, signaling the start of the battle.

"Togekiss, Safeguard!" Dawn commanded. Swirls of green light surrounded her Pokémon, and Serena could swear that she saw a shield wrap itself around Togekiss, though it appeared more as a halo. Brock and Croagunk stood still, waiting for the move to finish. Dawn took the first move after that. "Now, Air Slash!"

Togekiss flew up into the air, spinning around as a blue glow surrounded it now. Then, as it came out of its spin, it threw a blue ball of energy hurtling straight for Croagunk. Serena was amazed; the simple grace that Togekiss exuded was marvelous, from its perfect execution of its spin to the timing of its attack as it came out of its spin. Brock wasn't giving a command, either. She wanted to cry out for Croagunk to move, but just before she did, Croagunk stepped just a little to the side and the Air Slash whooshed right past him, impacting with the ground in an array of wispy glitter.

"Did…did Croagunk even dodge?" Clemont asked. Bonnie wanted to get closer to watch, so she jumped on her brother, knocking his glasses askew.

"Croagunk, get up in the air with your arms," Brock finally commanded. Croagunk grunted and lumbered forward before slamming both hands on the ground, springing itself up.

"Spin and dodge it, Togekiss," Dawn yelled. Togekiss did as it was commanded, spinning just as Croagunk shot towards it. The buffet of air that surrounded Togekiss made Croagunk's seeming punch miss it completely. "Now, trap it with your wings and use an Aura Sphere!"

"Toge!" the Jubilee Pokémon cried, aiming back for the now free-flying Croagunk. She reached out and grabbed Croagunk by the feet, hanging it upside down as an Aura Sphere formed near her mouth.

Just as it was about to impact, Brock gave his next command. "Now, Poison Jab at Togekiss' mouth."

"Croagunk!" the Poison type Pokémon called, jabbing upward with a poisonous fist from its upside-down position to slam right into Togekiss' mouth. The Aura Sphere exploded and both Pokémon were sent spiraling backwards. Togekiss managed to spin itself into an upright position, while Croagunk did a small flip in midair to land on its feet, looking a little bruised but no worse for the wear.

"Air Slash, again!" Dawn yelled out. Togekiss resumed its spinning, once more entrancing Serena. Togekiss was no less than an artist, and the air was its stage. Dawn was one heck of a Coordinator, that was for sure. Togekiss shot a little closer to Croagunk before letting off its Air Slash.

"Brace yourself," Brock said warningly. Croagunk crossed its arms to defend as the Air Slash was fired off. The edge of the attack reached Croagunk quicker than it had last time, only the Toxic Mouth Pokémon didn't dodge this time. It took the attack as it began to rush through it, the blue swirls of air like blades that carved away. "Now, jump."

"Croa!" Croagunk jumped once again, the power of the Air Slash suddenly carrying it further than it did before, and at a surprisingly quicker speed, despite the reverse direction.

"Holy Miltanks!" Harry suddenly blurted out at the execution of the move. Even Serena gasped as Croagunk landed a Brick Break right in Togekiss' stomach, sending her flying up into the air. Togekiss recovered and spun around to try and get a good attacking angle.

"Make a barrage of Aura Spheres!" Dawn ordered. Togekiss once more began to spin like a dancer, firing off an Aura Sphere periodically. It was like a whirling barrage of blue that glowed effervescently. Since Croagunk was in midair, it couldn't move around as freely, making it a sitting Ducklett, as it were.

"Counter with Poison Sting!" Croagunk opened its mouth and fired off numerous purple stingers in the direction of the impending Aura Spheres. Some of them impacted, causing them to burst in midair, others missed entirely, making the spheres collide with Croagunk. One, however, hit its mark on Togekiss, and the Jubilee Pokémon recoiled, as if in pain.

"The battle's over," Ash observed. Serena wasn't quite sure why he'd say that, since both of the Pokémon appeared to be even. "Togekiss is poisoned."

"But how? Togekiss used Safeguard," Clemont said, before realization settled on his face. "That's what Brock was waiting for. He had Croagunk use Poison Sting in midair to see if Safeguard had worn off yet."

"Croagunk, Venoshock!" Brock ordered. Serena whipped away from her friends to see Croagunk summon globs of purple goo that he lobbed at Togekiss.

"Hurry and dodge it!" Dawn cried out. Togekiss obeyed her trainer immediately, swerving and swooping to avoid the Venoshock attack, until it suddenly flinched from the poison taking an effect on its body. That brief pause was enough for the attack to hit, causing obvious massive damage to Togekiss while the goo sunk into her skin. "No need to worry, Togekiss. We'll use a single attack to finish this: Sky Attack."

"Get ready, Croagunk," Brock said stoically. Below a now shining Togekiss, Croagunk was shaking. Not that she had actually seen it before, but after looking Croagunk up earlier she knew its shuddering was a sign of its ability, Anticipation. A burst of light indicated that Togekiss was ready for its attack and it dived towards the waiting Croagunk. "Just hold on…"

"Come on, Togekiss! You can do it!"

"Go Brock and Croagunk!"

"Yeah!" Bonnie yelled as the two Pokémon were about to collide. Serena's hands flew to her chest, unsure of the outcome of what was about to happen, no matter what Ash had said.

"Now! Poison Jab!" As Togekiss collided with Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon jabbed outward with that same purple-glowing fist, hitting Togekiss on its back while the two were carried into the air by Togekiss' Sky Attack. "Finish with Venoshock on its back."

Croagunk, despite being attacked so harshly, retained enough defense to summon one last globule of Venoshock to hit Togekiss. The attack practically exploded and both Pokémon spiraled downward, crashing to the ground in a dust plume. When it receded, Croagunk was slumped over, but very much standing. Togekiss was passed out.

"Togekiss is unable to battle! Croagunk is the winner, and the victory goes to Brock of Team Ketchum!"

"All right!" Ash screamed, throwing his fist into the air.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as well. Serena just felt the breath she had been holding exhale at long last. Ash was right; it had been a phenomenally exciting battle and she couldn't wait to talk to the blue-haired Pokémon Coordinator about her Togekiss' air dance. On the field below, Brock had recalled Croagunk while the crowd was cheering wildly. He approached Dawn and her fallen Togekiss, tossing her a Pecha Berry.

"Thanks, Brock, and great job," Dawn congratulated him with a smile. She was a graceful loser as well. It was a sharp contrast to how she had reacted yesterday, crying after her battle. That thought made her eyes fly across the arena to Aria and she sighed a little. She definitely had not exemplified being a Kalos Queen by not smiling for her Pokémon.

"Your Togekiss has gotten a lot stronger," Brock said, kneeling down to make sure Togekiss was okay before Dawn recalled it. The two old friends exchanged a few more words before leaving the field.

"Zat was a most thrilling battle," Pierre said. "Togekiss' movement was ze most inspiring thing I have seen in a long time. If Dawn and her Togekiss were performers, I have no doubt she would be able to compete against Aria for ze title of Kalos Queen."

"Most certainly, but Croagunk was no slouch either," Sycamore responded. "Brock and his knowledge of Pokémon anatomy was impressive. All of those attacks on Togekiss' stomach to test the status of its Safeguard was nothing less than brilliant. Kudos to both trainers."

"Right you are, and now that that battle is complete, let's move onto our second one, which is…" Harry announced as the roulette began to spin. Brock was just rejoining the team as the trainers were selected. "Christopher from Team Brutal against Jessilina of Team Research."

"So, it's Team Rocket next, huh? Has Jessie gotten any better?" Brock asked, almost oblivious to the air of glee around his team. Serena had hardly noticed his return.

"They're definitely more of a pain in the butt now, but who cares? That was awesome, Brock. When did Croagunk learn Venoshock?" Ash asked, his eyes lighting up as always.

"Just recently, actually. It came in handy," Brock responded.

"You can say that again," Serena said, exhaling a little loudly. "You had me on the edge of my seat the entire time."

"Well, let's just count it as a great win for our team and watch the next match." The trainers all laughed and turned back to the arena.

"Greetings fans and supporters!" Jessie cried as she danced onto the arena. "I, the lovely Jessilina am here to put on a dazzling performance for you."

"I see she's still a drama queen," Brock commented sardonically.

"Go, Jessilina, put that poser down!" Serena hardly thought Team Brutal's participant was a poser, not when he looked like a weight lifter. His hair was styled similar to Brock's but his stature was so confident and big that he would have probably dwarfed Brock in comparison. He also seemed to be a man of few words because he didn't even acknowledge Jessie's over the top antics. He just took a pokeball out and stood calmly. Serena's conclusion was that he was the brawns not brains type.

"Let the battle begin!" Harry called out, the bell ringing at the same time.

"Let's shine, Gourgeist!"

"Tyrantrum." Yep, he was certainly a one-word trainer. Both Pokémon appeared on the field and one thing was abundantly clear: Tyrantrum was almost three or four times the size of Gourgeist. This made Jessie and her Pokémon apparently shiver in fear. "Crunch."

"Don't let him, Gourgeist. Use Leech Seed!" Gourgeist spun around, just like Togekiss and launched its Leech Seed outward. Tyrantrum, due to its large size and its current mode of attack, was unable to avoid the Leech Seed. Gourgeist's attack spread upward in its thick vines and surrounded the Despot Pokémon, beginning to suck its life energy out while constricting it tightly. "Now we have the advantage. Seed Bomb!"

"She did get better," Brock said, his face mildly impressed.

"Yeah, you wouldn't think so if she wasn't attacking us and trying to steal our Pokémon once a week," Serena spat distastefully. Gourgeist rose and began firing off its Seed Bomb, the attack flying out in an arc of giant glowing seeds which impacted strongly with Tyrantrum, causing it to cry out.

"Crunch the vines." Jessie was giggling so loudly at her Gourgeist's successfully continued attack that she didn't hear the muted command. Tyrantrum did, though and it struggled through the Leech Seed to bite into the plants, ripping them to shreds that looked like little leaves when it was done with it. Tyrantrum quickly renewed its assault. "Dragon Claw."

Tyrantrum's claws glowed green and long and Jessie and her Gourgeist finally stopped their laughing in time to widen their eyes as Tyrantrum slashed across the Pumpkin Pokémon. Gourgeist flew backwards and it made Jessie start gnashing her teeth angrily.

"Show him that he can't do that. Use Shadow Ball!" Gourgeist immediately obeyed her trainer, firing off a powerful Shadow Ball in Tyrantrum's direction. The large target made it easy to hit. "Now use Dark Pulse!"

"Geist!" Gourgeist cried as it fired off a very powerful Dark Pulse, the eerie dark beam colliding with Tyrantrum's head. The battle's result was still up in the air, but even after a number of successful attacks, Serena still felt that Christopher was holding the edge. He didn't say much, but when he gave his commands, they were to the point and helped him to take full control of the battlefield. It wasn't like Rocky, either though. He wasn't bored. He just seemed focused. It was very different for a member of Team Brutal.

"Rock Slide." Tyrantrum gave a great cry and white portals appeared around Tyrantrum's body. From those portals came a veritable barrage of rocks each of different shapes and sizes, but all off them hurtling towards the unsuspecting Gourgeist at maximum speed.

"Ah, don't let it hit you! Dodge! Dodge!" Gourgeist scrambled to listen to Jessie's commands, floating around desperately to avoid the attack. The rocks slammed into the ground and Serena got a sudden familiar feeling of déjà vu. It was just like yesterday's battle with Rocky, when he had managed to surround Vaporeon with rocks to land the final blow. Jessie was falling for the same trick. One of the rocks hit Gourgeist and it twirled around to recover. Jessie was waiting with a command for it right after. "Seed Bomb!"

"Head Smash." That was the end of the battle. Serena knew it, and she guessed that the rest of the audience knew it as well. Tyrantrum glowed with an eerie blue color as it began charging straight for Gourgeist. Out of desperation, Gourgeist began to fire Seed Bomb more rapidly at the charging Pokémon. When she began to realize that the giant seeds were practically ineffective against Tyrantrum, she tried to flee. Too bad that Tyrantrum had picked up too much speed. The Despot Pokémon slammed into Gourgeist, sending it flying into the stadium wall, where it cracked the actual surface, knocking Gourgeist out.

"Gourgeist is unable to battle. Tyrantrum is the winner, so the victory goes to Christopher of Team Brutal."

"Not that surprising," Bonnie commented with a tinge of boredom in her voice. Serena had to concur. Despite the strong showings the day before, Christopher's cool commands directed at Tyrantrum were nothing short of impressive. The only bad thing about this particular trainer was the way he stalked off the field with cold indifference, not even caring that his Tyrantrum may have caused serious harm to Gourgeist. The Pumpkin Pokémon  _had_  broken the wall after all. Still, Jessie had put up a good fight in the end, and even though she was their enemy, Serena thought it was nice to see her looking so concerned after her Pokémon.

"Hm, well…" Harry commented, clearly not able to find the words for the feat of strength he had just seen. Aston had to take the reins for him.

"It seems we're down to the final battle for the day. I'm hoping it's a good one!" Harry cleared his throat after Aston's announcement, clearly hoping to make some comment. He was unable to say what was on his mind as the roulette began spinning and spinning until it stopped on the final two combating trainers for the day.

"All right, give it up for Ariana of Team Performer against Bruce of Team Trainer!"

"Aria's up!" Serena exclaimed happily. How ironic that all three of the female combatants for the day were trainers that did some sort of performance in their move sets. Of course, Serena had only battled against Aria once in a competitive setting, so she was more than excited to see whether she would pull off a victory or not. Like Dawn and Brock, Aria and Bruce went to the middle of the battlefield and shook hands. As Bruce pulled away, he had a light blush actually dusting his face. The name Ariana clearly wasn't fooling anyone.  _I guess that's the power of a Kalos Queen…I wonder if I became the Kalos Queen, whether Ash would look at me like that_.

That didn't seem likely, as Ash was hoisting Bonnie onto his shoulders (Clemont claimed he was too weak and tired to) so that the two could watch the battle. Their eyes were shining so brightly, Serena was certain that Ash had no intentions of looking at her whatsoever. That was perfectly fine with her. She wanted to pay attention to Aria's battle anyway. Before the bell was to ring, Aria looked up into the stands and caught sight of Serena. She sent a wink in the girl's direction and Serena smiled. Seconds later, the bell rang and the battle began.

"Let the performance begin, Aromatisse."

"You're up, Braviary," Bruce cried out, the Pokémon emerging from its pokeball with a cry. "Steel Wing, let's go!"

"Aromatisse, counter with Charge Beam!" Aria called out, making her signature hand movement around her face. Aromatisse fired out the electrical attack from the crackling orb in front of its face straight at Braviary.

"Cut straight through it!" Braviary altered its trajectory so that instead of its body being in the way of the Charge Beam attack, it was instead slicing through it with the glinting Steel Wing. "Follow it up with Crush Claw!"

"Brave!" Braviary cried out as its talons glowed a sudden blue color and it slammed against Aromatisse, sending it flying backwards.

"Reflect," Aria called out. Serena admired her. Despite Braviary quickly taking the upper hand, Aria managed to remain calm and collected, all with a smile on her face. That was what it meant to be a Kalos Queen. Aromatisse obeyed automatically and brought its Reflect up. The Crush Claw's damage was already done, but Aria was very obviously playing a much longer game.

"Well, we're not done, either. Brave Bird!" Braviary flew higher up into the sky as it circled around before it dived straight for Aromatisse, its body practically burning in a brilliant blue blaze. Aromatisse braced itself as Braviary slammed right into the Pokémon, some of the blue glow transferring onto the other Pokémon for a moment. As Braviary flew away, it was shuddering with the recoil from its attack. Aria went on the offensive.

"Fairy Wind!"

"Protect!" The two moves collided in an inevitable stalemate and both Pokémon were completely unharmed. When the Protect faded, Braviary also seemed to have recovered from its recoil and was ready for action again. "Steel Wing, again, let's go!"

Braviary's wings glowed white once more and it dove at Aromatisse again. Aria ordered another Fairy Wind, the pink dust like wind cutting towards Braviary. Unlike the Charge Beam, Braviary was unable to cut through it, but its attack still struck head on. Both Pokémon were starting to look damaged bit by bit. "Charge Beam!"

"Dodge it, and rush in with a Crush Claw!" Braviary avoided the Charge Beam and swooped in on Aromatisse, hitting the Fragrance Pokémon hard with its shining blue claws. Thanks to the Reflect, Aromatisse looked hardly damaged at all. "We'll keep going!"

"You too, Aromatisse! Fairy Wind, followed by a Charge Beam!"

The crowd was whipped into a frenzy by the oncoming flurry of attacks. Braviary would swoop in and land a strong hit while Aromatisse would also send a powerful blow at its opponent. More often than not, Braviary would be able to avoid the hit but in its recklessness, it would sometimes be hit, usually by Charge Beam. The battle was certainly turning into one nail biter of a competition, with no clear winner even close to being decided, unlike the previous two battles. The most elongating factor of the battle was Aria's use of Reflect and Bruce's use of Protect in deflecting damage. Bonnie eventually got tired of the long battle.

"Why hasn't anyone won yet?" she complained, squeezing Squishy a little tighter than it probably wanted. Gary saw fit to educate the young girl.

"Aromatisse has terrible attack, which I suppose is fine if you're a Performer. On the other hand, it also has a great defense. Braviary, likewise, has great attack but can't get enough damage in with Reflect up, but its speed allows it to avoid most attacks," Gary explained. When Bonnie still looked confused, her big brother jumped in to help her out.

"In other words it's a battle of defense and speed because the damage they're dealing is so little," Clemont told her.

"Ooh…Now I get it." Serena and Ash laughed at Bonnie's realization and the honey-blonde turned back to the arena. Both Braviary and Aromatisse were looking pretty tired by this point, but the audience didn't seem to mind that neither one was out like Bonnie did: it  _was_  an exciting battle after all.

"Now, Aromatisse, our final performance," Aria said with confidence. "Let's use Charge-"

 _Ding! Ding! Ding!_  The bell suddenly cut off Aria's final command, drawing both confusion and a little resentment from the crowd at large. "That's it, folks. Time's up! That means this battle ends in a draw and both teams receive three points."

"Aw…I wanted to see Aria win," Bonnie whined as Ash took her off his shoulders.

"One more minute and she would have," he told the young girl. Serena turned away from where Aria and Bruce were shaking hands one more time to look at her raven-haired traveling companion.

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"Her Charge Beam," Ash answered simply. Serena thought back on the battle and she realized that Ash was right. Charge Beam really hadn't hit too many times, but in that last instant, Braviary was moving slower due to exhaustion  _and_  it had used Protect a couple times in a row already. Essentially, if Aria's Charge Beam had hit, she would have won, while Aromatisse looked only slightly tired from the battle's exertion. No wonder she was Kalos Queen.

"Well, that's the end of day two of the tournament," Kalas announced to the crowd as the screens in the stadium displayed that day's points. "If you'll all turn your attention to the points board."

TEAM BRUTAL 17

TEAM TRAINER 11

TEAM COORDINATOR 10

TEAM KETCHUM 10

TEAM PERFORMER 7

TEAM RESEARCH 6

"Hey, we're tied for third!" Bonnie said. She wasn't the only one in the crowd to notice. After only one day, the last placed team had jumped two spots up and was already tied with Shauna's team. Serena suppressed the urge to jump up and down in glee; they were in the running for winning this thing after all.

"We've truly seen some dramatic role reversals today, and I wonder just what kind of competition we'll be seeing in the days to come," Aston said, the absolute joy of watching the tournament evident in his voice.

"Today's performances in battle have been ze most entertaining yet. I hope to see more tomorrow," Pierre stated.

"I'm looking forward to what kind of Pokémon the participating trainers will use tomorrow as well. I'm sure the events will be very exciting," Sycamore concluded.

"And with that, folks, day two is over. We'll see you tomorrow for an action packed day three!" With that, the commentators ended their presentation. Around them, people began to exit from the stadium, seeing no need to stick around for nothing to happen. Ash threw his hands in the air and groaned aloud as he stretched.

"I'm starving. What do you guys say we get some dinner?" he asked. Like anyone was going to say no to that. Realizing that no one was going to dispute his stomach, Ash started walking out with Pikachu back on his shoulder. Serena quickly walked after him as they exited their waiting room and came out into the still packed lobby.

"Hey, Ash!" called the familiar voice that Serena recognized as Dawn's. She and Ash both turned their heads to see Dawn come running ahead of her team (who weren't really that far behind) and give her old friend a high five. "Nice job, today, you guys!"

"We're totally gonna win this thing!" Ash exclaimed while the rest of Team Coordinator caught up. Tierno was the first to challenge Ash's statement.

"Nah, we're only tied, so our team's gonna win," he said back to his rival.

"Before we start blustering about who's going to win, which is us," Brock began, a challenging smile aimed at Dawn, "why don't we all get some dinner first?"

"Definitely…I'm so hungry…" May expressed with a moan, as though the thought of food was too much for her to handle. Dawn shook her head and laughed a little at her companion. May heard it and snapped her head to her blue-haired friend. "What? Is there something wrong with a girl who wants to eat?"

"Not at all," Dawn joked. "You just take eating to a level beyond simple consumption."

"That sounds like a challenge, Dawn," May said. Dawn clearly couldn't help the snicker that came from her lips. It was strange, how these two were turning into different people for a moment. Then again, it made the most sense if they had traveled with Ash. Outside of battle he could be a little dense…okay, a lot dense, but in a battle, his brain worked at lightning speed and he became one of the best battlers she'd ever seen, but you wouldn't know it from how he acted otherwise. Seeing an argument about to start, Serena stepped forward and inserted herself between the two Coordinators.

"Let's not fight, okay? We're all hungry, so let's get food together," she said, as if she were trying to mediate two children. That felt ironic considering they seemed so much more skilled than her.

"Great idea!" Dawn chirped, hooking her arm with Serena's. "Let's have a girl's dinner table discussion! No need to worry about catching up with us, guys."

"Hey, I'm hungry, too!" Ash snapped, but his voice was already fading out of earshot as Dawn dragged Serena out of the coliseum. May was slightly ahead of them, obviously too attracted to whatever scent of food was discernable. Shauna and Bonnie, meanwhile, were taking up the rear.

"Pip! Pip pip lup!" called the Penguin Pokémon on Dawn's shoulder. Serena was surprised to see it outside of its pokeball like Pikachu and Dedenne.

"Oh, all right, Piplup, you can go hang out with Pikachu. Just make sure you're back in time for the festival."

"Are Piplup and Pikachu good friends?" Serena asked. She had never seen two different trainers Pokémon be so close to each other. Not even Dedenne and Pikachu were close enough that they wanted to spend lots of time with each other.

"The best," Dawn giggled with a smile. "They were practically inseparable when Ash left Sinnoh. I don't think Piplup stopped crying for days."

"Oh…" Serena said, hardly realizing her tone was so devoid of emotion. That didn't stop Dawn from noticing it and a frown creased her face.

"So, you're the Pokémon Performer, Serena, huh? Bonnie was telling us all about you last night," the bluenette continued on sweetly. Serena gave a double take for a very brief moment before nodding. "What's it like? I've only ever done Contests, so I'm not sure what performing entails."

"From what Ash tells me, Contests aren't much different than Showcases, only we don't have battles. That would probably be why I lost yesterday." With every step and word, Serena was feeling more and more dejected. Here she was, surrounded by Ash's former traveling companions, who were both stunningly beautiful and were amazing battlers. Not that Serena thought she was  _ugly_  or anything, but Dawn and May held a grace and maturity equal to or even surpassing Aria's.

"You really like putting yourself down, huh?" Dawn said concernedly. "Conway gave  _Ash_  a run for his money at the midpoint of his Sinnoh League challenge. There is no shame in losing to a stalk-I mean, a guy like him."

"Even Ash loses," May said, holding what looked like a kebob in her mouth. It appeared she had just gotten one from a stand on the street. "You looked great out there yesterday. Heck, you should have seen Ash's face as you battled."

"Since when do you pay attention to Ash's face? I thought all you thought about was your beloved  _Drew_ ," Dawn teased the brunette. Serena shot a quick look behind her to see Shauna and Bonnie chatting about Shauna's Ivysaur, which was trotting along beside them. They were completely oblivious to this argument…if it could be called that.

"I will have you know that Drew and I haven't spoken…" May stated triumphantly. She then added in a little whisper, "…since we arrived in Kalos."

"Ha!" Dawn shouted, drawing some attention from the street. "Anyway, May is right. Ash was pretty psyched about your battle, I could tell. You must really like him if you seemed so worried about upsetting him."

"Wh-what? Who said that?" Serena suddenly jabbered out, her face turning at least three different shades of red before reaching magenta. Dawn tilted her head and smiled sweetly.

"No need to worry, we've all been there," she said, tucking some of her hair back. Serena nearly stopped walking; what Dawn had just said made her feel like she was walking through lead. "I had a huge crush on Ash myself. I don't anymore. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it's true in a way, but I realized that I saw Ash as more of a best friend than a boyfriend, you know? So, really, I just missed my best friend."

"I'm…not sure what to say," Serena confessed. Her heart was unclenching, and she felt like she could breathe again. Dawn didn't seem like someone who would lie callously to her just to make her think she would have a chance; Ash wouldn't be friends with someone like that.

"Ooh, that gives me an idea, Dawn!" May suddenly squealed. The bluenette detached from Serena's side to listen to her friend closely, nodding in intervals.

"Sounds great! Okay, Serena, we've decided we'll help you with Ash!"

"H-help me? !" Serena gasped. She was not expecting their dinner time to go this way at all, and it wasn't even dinner yet. "I don't need help. I'm fine with where Ash and I are.

"If you were fine with it, you wouldn't be blushing like a schoolgirl or shutting down every time a girl looks like she's putting the moves on Ash," May said, polishing off the kabob with absolute precision. "Yeah, it's kind of obvious."

"Like your infatuation with Drew," Dawn snickered. May responded by tossing her kabob stick at Dawn's head. It missed, but somehow landed in a nearby trashcan. "Jealousy is natural, but we want Ash to be happy, and we want his other friends to be happy, too. A friend of Ash's is a friend of ours. All you need to do is take a step."

 _A step, huh?_  Serena thought to herself. It was such a freeing, yet daunting, thought. "But, I really don't think Ash would…you're all so much prettier and more graceful than I am."

"Nonsense! You have your own charm about you. No one's the same!" Dawn was smiling so brightly that Serena couldn't help but give in to her urgings. "Just look at May. Do you think you could find another girl that could shovel as much food as she does in?"

"One more crack, Dawn, and we might be a team member short tomorrow." That was the first time that Dawn actually giggled nervously at May's threats. And yet, it made Serena smile; they must have been very close friends to joke around with each other like that. "Well, now that that's decided, it's dinner time!"

May tore off again and Dawn took off after her. Serena practically got dragged along with the two until they reached the hotel lobby and dashed into the cafeteria. May had already loaded her plate with burgers, fries, and all manner of sweets. Bonnie was looking at it like her birthday was here, and with Clemont missing, Serena took it upon herself to stop the young girl from eating anything that might give Dedenne or herself a stomachache later. After finding a table, Serena and Shauna started sharing stories about their Pokémon Showcases.

"Showcases do seem a bit different from Contests," Dawn mused. "We're not really evaluated on our dress, though in Sinnoh it is a requirement to dress up for Contests."

"Well, you guys battle, so it would explain how you did so well yesterday, May," Shauna said, tipping a spoon of peas into her mouth. Bonnie blanched next to her.

"Nah, the only reason we're so good at battling is because we traveled with Ash for so long," May admitted. "I think we've both seen him at his best, unless there's something about his Kalos journey that we don't know about."

"But…but your Blaziken looked so elegant, and Dawn's Togekiss was so graceful," Serena cooed, practically gushing over the two Coordinators. "I really want my Pokémon to dance as well as Togekiss did. My Sylveon's no slouch, but I'm sure that with a little training…"

"I'd be happy to train you some time. It took a bit for me to work with Togekiss, but I think that her moves would probably enhance your performance," Dawn agreed. "Plus, I'm sure I could pick up a few tips from you, myself."

"Ooh, can I brush your Buneary's fur, then? It's so cute!" Bonnie gushed with sparkles in her eyes. Dawn just smiled. May excused herself a moment later to use the restroom. As they were finishing off dessert, a bell rang outside, causing Shauna to stand.

"That's the signal for the festival," she informed them. "Sorry, but I promised I'd meet Tierno and Trevor. I'll see you later!"

"Take care, Shauna!" Serena called after her friend.

"We should go and see it, too. The rumor around town is that the Fireworks Festival is quite gorgeous." Serena nodded and called her Pokémon out, eager to see the day's festival with them. Dawn didn't call hers until they got outside, where the honey-blonde quickly figured out why: she had a Mamoswine that was positively huge! "Guys, meet my new friend Serena and her Pokémon!"

All of Dawn's Pokémon greeted her enthusiastically and her own Pokémon returned the favor gleefully. The two girls then headed off for where Dawn said the best viewing spot for the fireworks was. It just so happened to be a hill overlooking the city and near the river as it sat at the foot of the hill. Many spectators for the festival were lining up there, some on blankets and others just standing around. That was nothing to the Pokémon running around gleefully.

"You know…I think we left May behind," Serena chuckled out. Bonnie was too busy brushing Buneary's fur to apparently care about their new brunette friend. Dawn glanced around sheepishly.

"Oh well, she'll just go on another one of her 'expeditions' to find us, I'm sure," the bluenette responded cheerily. Deciding to go with the flow of things, Serena shrugged it off and the two continued to try and find a decent place to take a break. As they were about to find one, Serena noticed that the boys (sans Tierno and Trevor) had joined them on the hill and that May happened to be with them, breathing heavily like she had just run a long way. Serena waved them over but didn't look where she was going. Her foot lodged on a rock just as an angry and bruised Primeape came barreling through. The two forces combined sent her backwards.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the force hadn't turned her into a practical ball that was rolling down the hill. Not that they were far up it, so the distance was very short to Serena's inevitable destination.  _Sploosh!_  Serena sat up, realizing that she had fallen in the river and had gotten all wet. Dawn was the first to run up, an apologetic look on her face at having not caught her.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just wet…achoo…and cold, I guess," Serena replied as she stood and waded out of the water. She slipped her vest off, wringing it out as best as she could. Thankfully her hat hadn't gotten drenched, though she couldn't say the same for her feet. She had to take off her shoes and socks immediately.

"Hey, we don't want you catching cold." Suddenly, Serena felt the warmth of Ash's jacket settling on her skin. She looked up and saw him smiling a somewhat concerned smile at her.

"Thanks, Ash," she said, drawing the jacket tighter. She was about to walk away when she caught sight of Dawn's face, a rather insistent look upon it.  _Steps…Take a step, Serena,_  she thought, as if it would will her to move forward. She nodded at Dawn while Ash's attention was distracted by a roughhousing Pikachu and Piplup, Dawn's Buneary smiling shyly at the electric mouse. "Um…Ash, do you…do you want to watch the fireworks together?"

"Sure!" he responded quickly.

"Have fun! Hey, Poetry Guy's grandson, have you learned anything new on Mega Evolution?" Dawn said, roaming off to join up with Gary. Serena stood there awkwardly until Ash started moving into the crowd of people. She followed him, well, more like walked side by side with him. For a brief moment, she was reminded of their "definitely-not-a-date" in Coumarine City. It couldn't go the same way this time. She reached out, trying to calm her nerves and managed to successfully clasp Ash's hand.

"Uh…what's up, Serena?" he asked. She looked at him, trying to stop her face from lighting up like a Christmas tree. Ash didn't look uncomfortable, but his own cheeks were tinged pink.

"Your hand's warm."

"Oh…well, so is yours," he said back to her. That made her smile as the first firework was fired off into the night sky. The two turned towards it. "I'm totally going out for our team tomorrow."

"Yeah…you'll win it all, Ash," she said. Ash didn't let go as they continued to watch the fireworks. It wasn't a large step she had taken forward, but it wasn't a baby step either. It was just a step, and they were taking it together. That was what mattered to Serena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I'm trying to develop the romance at a good pace. I hope you all feel I'm doing a good job of things, particularly from Ash's side of things. Since this story is primarily Serena's point of view I can't always show what Ash is going through, but I hope I'm portraying it well enough (and I will delve into his mind occasionally). On that note, what did you think of my battles? I really wanted to make a good one between Dawn and Brock, and I hope I succeeded. I also hope I did justice to Dawn and May in their interactions with Serena, but that's all up to you guys to let me know.
> 
> Your words are like a salve to my soul that keeps me moving ever apace. As a final word, I hope you enjoyed and will continue on with me to day three. In the meantime, Review and, as always, Dare to Be Silly.


	8. A Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all ready for this awesome sauce of a chapter? I hope so, because Chapter 8! Here it comes!

Chapter 8

A Victory

Serena was humming happily the next morning. It was still pretty early when she'd woken up, but she knew she wouldn't get back to sleep. So, her clothes finally dry, she dropped Ash's jacket off at his bed and changed. Then she made her way downstairs to the hotel's kitchen. It had been a madhouse there as they tried to prepare breakfast for all of their impending guests coming down, but after volunteering the help of Braixen and Pancham in their cooking process, they allowed her use of their oven. That's when Serena set about baking cookies.

By breakfast time they were all done, each of them done in stars and Pikachu faces. Serena felt they had been her best ones yet; after all, she poured every happy feeling she'd had from watching the fireworks with Ash last night into these very cookies.

When she was done, she sealed them up in a bag and took a seat while a chef came and set a table for her and her friends as thanks for her assistance. From there, Serena sat back in her chair and sipped on some orange juice. In her haze of thoughts, Serena stopped her humming and decided to take a look at the current events in the Kalos Region. She didn't expect there to be much; not with the tournament going on and everything. Since the map she was holding brought up any news geographically, Serena figured she would have articles upon articles of the goings on at the tournament.

Instead, she spat her juice all over it at the sight of what was on the screen.

"Braix Braixen," her Braixen complained a little, some of the orange juice having flown onto her fur. Pancham crawled up Serena instead to look at the screen. Sylveon remained lounging at her feet. Taking a cloth napkin from the table, Serena wiped the screen furiously of the juice until it was dry, albeit quite sticky.

"What's going on?" Serena looked up and saw Brock taking a seat next to her at the table. None of the others were with him, so she figured that he was as light a sleeper as she was.

"This article…" Serena said, her voice still filled with shock. Brock leaned over and raised an eyebrow at the story. "It looks like Ancien Castle was broken into last night."

"That is pretty big news," Brock agreed, pulling a plate of eggs over to himself. "I heard they'd doubled the guard around it during the tournament. It would be practical suicide to try and break in."

"Hard to believe it happened while we were all asleep," she replied. A shiver ran down her back at the very thought of it. "Makes you wonder what else they could break into."

"Who knows? Are you having those hash browns?" Serena shook her head in response to Brock's question and the older trainer pulled the hash browns and ketchup back over to him. "My question is what they were thinking of."

"What do you mean?"

"What's the motive?" Brock asked, now topping off his plate with a couple pancakes. As Serena turned to look at him, she could see Gary ambling over, a yawn stretching his face. "Sure the castle probably has some expensive items worth stealing, or old artifacts maybe, but it would be better to steal them during a time when Ancien City  _isn't_  packed."

"I never thought of it that way," Serena mused, her finger tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Didn't think of what in what way?" Gary asked, scratching at his stomach while he sat opposite Serena. All he did was grab the plate of pancakes and drown them in syrup.

"Ancien Castle was broken into last night," Brock explained, digging into his food with more restraint than Ash ever showed.

"Huh…was anything taken?" Gary asked. He tacked another yawn on at the end before sticking his first pancake whole into his mouth. Serena ignored that as best as she could. Rather, she decided to once more peruse the article that had made her drench the device in orange juice. After a few minutes of the boys silent chewing, Serena came to a single conclusion.

"Nope. Nothing was stolen, according to Officer Jenny," she confirmed. "That's strange, too. Why break into a place and not ste…Oh, I bet it was Team Rocket. They're always up to stuff like that."

"Since when has Team Rocket actually broken into a place without stealing  _anything_?" Brock said with a roll of his eyes. Now that she thought about it, the Kanto doctor was right. Team Rocket did break into places, but their greed almost always managed to get them "blasting off again". Not stealing anything simply wasn't in their repertoire.

"Fine. But is there anything worth breaking in for and not stealing?" Serena said, a small pout on her face. It wasn't like the whole thing was any of her business, but the mystery had her intrigued. Gary and Brock just shrugged and returned to their food. Bit by bit, the cafeteria was filling up with sleepy spectators. No one appeared aware of what had happened under their sleepy noses the night prior.

Out of continued interest, Serena pressed the play button on a video attached the article. Officer Jenny was on the screen, taking a look at what appeared to be the point of entry, on the third floor of the castle. Serena turned the volume up just a little so that she could hear over the clamoring breakfast crowd.

" _…it would appear so,_ " the policewoman was saying. Brock had abandoned his food to watch the clip with enraptured attention. " _Nothing was stolen or out of place, so we have no idea as to the thieves' intentions._ "

" _Thieves?_ " the reporter asked. Upon closer look, Serena noticed it was actually Kalas giving the interview. " _Are you sure there was more than one?_ "

" _Definitely,_ " Jenny said with certainty. She motioned with her hands over to the ramparts of the third floor and the camera focused in on some marks on the wall. " _You see, here. These marks were made by two Pokémon, Dragon types by the looks of it. Manectric could smell it. That tells me from the way things look that at least two trainers were involved in the heist. I would put my own estimate at about four or five._ "

" _Isn't that extrapolating a bit?_ "

" _Maybe, but better safe than sorry. After all, many of the guards don't even seem to remember something happening last night, like a Hypnosis was used on them. No matter what, though, myself and my team will continue to watch over this site and all citizens here for the Kalos Team Tournament._ "

"She's as beautiful as I remember!" Brock gushed. "The Kalos region seems to hold some particularly exotic Officer Jennies. Oh, if only…"

"Cool your jets, lover boy," Gary said, yanking the back of his shirt to pull him back to his eggs.

"What are you all looking at?" said an energetic voice, easily identifiable as Ash's. Serena decided to close her map, briefly seeing the weather report before she did so: clear and sunny with the nighttime moving towards a new moon in just a few days. She looked up to a smiling Ash, putting a smile on her face as well. The black-haired trainer took a seat next to her and went towards taking a bit of everything onto his plate, particularly loading it with the cookies that Serena edged towards him; Pikachu ran straight for the ketchup. It appeared that Clemont and Bonnie were right behind him.

"Nothing important," Serena finally said to him. There was no reason to make Ash worry about anything that wasn't his Pokémon or the tournament. It wasn't like he could care much, anyway. "Are you ready for today?"

"Totally! I'm gonna go out there and win this competition!" Ash said with a fist pump. He took a piece of bacon and shoved it in his mouth. "You'll help me, right buddy?"

"Pi Pika!" Pikachu called, his own mouth full of food, just like his trainer.

"You'll bring us home a win!" Clemont joined in, putting some food on a sleepy Bonnie's plate. For her part, the still drowsy girl twirled her hands around semi-enthusiastically, mumbling "Go Team Ketchum…"

"Well, good luck out there. I can't imagine the competitions getting any easier," Brock said. "The days are dwindling, and so is the opportunity to earn points. You can bet that everyone will be putting forth their best effort to get as many points as possible."

"Eh, Pikachu and I can do it," Ash said with confidence. Pikachu just nodded in agreement, returning to his lovely ketchup.

Once everyone on their team was fed, even Bonnie, they all got up and decided to make their way to the stadium. By now, Bonnie was fully awakened and was happily dancing up ahead with Dedenne twirling around. They weren't the only ones making their way there. Since it was almost time for the morning portion of the day to begin, everyone in the city was making their way to the stadium, chattering with excitement. Serena walked alongside Ash, still feeling an air of contentment over their time together last night. She hoped that Ash felt the same way.

The honey blonde Performer looked down and noticed Ash's hand swinging. For a brief moment, she wondered if she would have the courage to clasp his hand again, but dismissed the thought. Last night was a step, and she didn't think doing it again would be very wise so soon after. Instead, she looked everywhere  _but_  at Ash. This drew her gaze to the castle at the top of the hill. Even from here, it looked like a very impressive fortress. Why would anyone be crazy enough to break into it, indeed? Brock's line of thought held her attention until the castle was out of sight, and thus, out of mind. Together, the team headed to their stands to wait for the day to begin.

When the audience seemed settled and was in a rather cheery mood, Harry came over the comms and began to whip the audience back into a froth of excitement. One would hardly guess he had been reporting on the break-in just a few hours ago.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" Kalas cried out, causing the whole entire arena to once again erupt with anticipation. "Today is day three of the Kalos Team Tournament! After today's events, we'll be halfway through the exciting tournament. Today's competition is just the start of what is in store, and the competition today is the 'Multi-Relay Course'!"

"That sounds about as imaginative as Clemont's inventions," Bonnie said, her tone completely flat as she said so. The audience didn't seem to share her sentiments because their cheers practically shook the stadium. All of them were psyched for whatever was about to come, no matter the uninspired name.

"Are you ready? Teams, please send down your trainers for participation," Kalas called out.

"Well, here I go!" Ash said, running for the exit to the field.

"Go get 'em, Ash!"

"Tear 'em up, Ashy-boy."

"Good luck," the Lumiose siblings happened to say at the same time. Ash paused at the door and turned to Serena, waiting for her to say something. She smiled at him.

"We believe in you."

"Thanks, guys!" Ash said, and then he and Pikachu were gone. He arrived on the field moments later as Harry began to introduce the members of the teams.

"From Team Coordinator, we have Tierno. From Team Ketchum, Ash; Team Performer, Miette; Team Brutal sends out Christopher; Team Research, Conway, and Team Trainer's representative is Kael."

Hearing Miette's name brought Serena's jealousy back in full-force and she leaned as close as she could to the field in order to hear any bit of conversation that might take place on it. At the moment, though, the trainers were all still arriving on the field bit by bit. Next to her, Bonnie was sniggering while Brock was stroking a rather non-existent beard, like he was lost in intense thought. The obvious decision in Serena's head was to ignore Bonnie and instead ask Brock what he was thinking about.

"Just…a relay course?" Brock said, almost like he wasn't even answering her question. "This competition may be more complicated than the last two. They certainly seem to be growing more extravagant by the day."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure Ash will be just fine," Serena assured the older boy. Brock nodded, as if that could be the end of the conversation, but he continued to look worried. Serena sighed a little and returned her attentions back to the coliseum field. Tierno was now on the field and him and Ash were shaking hands like spirited competitors.

"Looks like we get to face off against each other, after all," Tierno was saying, his voice carrying up to their place in the stands.

"Yeah, and I'll win this time," Ash countered, the two rivals smiling at each other.

"I don't know about that. My Pokémon and I have brought our dance moves to the max. You'll get to see them in action firsthand, you know?"

"Dancing? That's certainly an unorthodox battle strategy," said Conway, himself emerging from the darkness of the coliseum's walls like some sort of ghost. It was no wonder that Dawn found the boy creepy, especially since he was still adjusting those infuriating glasses of his. "Nevertheless, true strategy is what it takes to win a competition."

"I think it just takes inspiration!" Ash said back. Pikachu appeared to agree on his shoulder. Conway nodded a little, like he was graciously accepting Ash's observation.

"I suppose you have a point. All of my strategizing didn't defeat you in the Sinnoh League."

"Well, then it looks like we're having a rematch."

"So it does…heh heh heh…" Once more, Serena felt shivers run down her spine from that utterly creepy laugh that Conway was giving off. Ash, for his part, seemed completely unfazed, either because he was used to it or didn't scare as easily.

"We'll each be doing our best, then?" Tierno asked, his face set in determination. Ash turned to the hefty boy and smirked just a little, but it wasn't the same kind of smirk that Team Brutal usually wore. It was softer, less of a jeer and more of a challenge. Speaking of Team Brutal, Serena watched as the ridiculously silent Christopher took to the field and remained standing there, not even interested in taking part in the conversation. It was still better than hurling insults.

"Yeah, let's make this a real rivalry battle and give it our all!" Ash said. He put his hand in and Serena watched as both Tierno and Conway put their own hands to the center. Then she watched with displeasure as Miette's hand found its way in.

"Don't leave me out as well, boys," Miette said with a smile. "I may not be league trainers like yourself, but I'm sure that myself and my Pokémon can put up some kind of a challenge."

"Looking forward to it, Miette." Serena was about to sigh in relief that Miette didn't seem to be pulling anything, until she flashed her own little smirk up into the stands. Then she leaned over and appeared to whisper something in Ash's ear. Serena's fists clenched, one on her ribbon and the other trying to dig into the stone in vain. She obviously couldn't hear just what the blue-haired strumpet was telling to Ash, but she couldn't imagine it was anything good. "What?"

"You're funny, Ash," Miette giggled out, patting his shoulder flirtatiously. Ash's lips were moving up and down like a gaping Magikarp's as he suddenly turned as red as a tomato. In between her fingers, Serena's fingers were crumpling the ribbon, figuring it would probably be a near unrecognizable mess by the time she was done.

"Miette, what did you mean?" Ash cried out after her while she walked away a short distance, like she wanted him to chase her. Serena couldn't take it, and her words burst out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Ash, focus on the competition! You promised to give us a win!" she yelled, perhaps a little more harshly than she would have wanted to. Ash turned up into the stands to look at her. Something flitted across Ash's face as he looked at her. It was strange because even from their distance, Serena could see a vast multitude of emotions swirling within his eyes: there was confusion, embarrassment, determination, vulnerability, and an odd softness as he looked at her that she didn't think she'd ever seen there before. And she knew Ash's eyes. She had memorized their details as he battled, or experienced new things. Quite honestly, his eyes were her favorite part of Ash other than his personality.

"Right," he said. The confused frown on his face turned into a smile once more. "I've got this!"

"Go get 'em!" Serena cheered, her fist in the air, having finally stopped the mangling of her ribbon. That was when she noticed that it was a little too quiet around her and she turned to see Brock arching an eyebrow at her and Clemont staring at her with a dumbfounded face. "What?"

"Well…it's just…you  _never_  yell, Serena," Clemont said. "Just a little strange…"

"That's because she lo-" Bonnie said only for Serena to shut the girl up again with her hand. The blonde really did not have a filter.

"I love to win, so I don't want Ash distracted by his opponents," Serena argued. Bonnie glared at her from beneath her hand. "It's obvious that Miette was trying to unsettle Ash so I got him back on his game."

"That sounds logical," Clemont agreed, turning back to the field once more. Serena exhaled in relief and removed her hand.

"Clemont, you're so dense," Bonnie snapped irritably.

"Huh? About what?" Serena smiled, ignoring Brock and Gary's stares while she looked back to the field. The four rivals appeared to have separated now, still sizing each other up. Christopher of Team Brutal remained off to the side, not involved with the other boisterous trainers while Kael of Team Trainer wore a rather comical expression on his face.

"Hey…that's not cool," he expressed, snapping his headband off. Serena watched the humorous scene of Kael approaching Christopher, who looked like he could care less, accentuated by the karate outfit that Kael was wearing. He took his headband and threw it down at Christopher's feet. "You an' me are rivals. We're throwing down!"

"Okay." Christopher made no other unnecessary movements, underlining his rather terse nature. Kael pumped his fist and grabbed his headband, dusting it off of dirt. Next to her, Bonnie was grumbling loudly.

"When are they going to get started?" she whined. Her words appeared to be magical.

"All right, folks. Now that the team's participants have been chosen, let's begin today's competition!" Kalas explained loudly. As per usual, a rumbling filled the stadium and the center of the field practically split open. All of the trainers moved off to the sides as from the center of the ground emerged a tall glass container.

" _That_  is some impressive engineering…" Clemont gasped out in awe at the sight of it. Serena agreed.

Upon first glance, it might have seemed like the whole thing was just a gigantic glass box, but that was quickly disproven upon a second glance. There were four large rooms that segmented the box into different tiers. Each room was tall enough to fit even the largest Pokémon in, barring perhaps some legendaries, and their length spread across the entirety of the coliseum. The glass nature of the box allowed everyone to see inside it, too. Each of the four tiers looked different: the top was like a canyon with stepping stones covering it; the second one almost looked like a dojo or some kind of training exercises as wooden logs appeared to be swinging back and forth; the third was entirely filled with water except for the edges, like it was a giant pool suspended in midair; the fourth was then a giant field with a point that seemed to be a finish line. The name of the competition was, perhaps, a bit silly, but Serena felt that it described it all too aptly.

Mutterings filled the stadium at the sight of it, each wondering just what it was, and what the trainers would have to do. Brock had been right; this was growing more extravagant and complicated by the day. It almost made her worry about what the final day's competition would be, especially since she was to compete in it alongside him.

"Welcome to the Multi-Relay Course! In this competition, trainers will be taking part in a four-part obstacle course. The first trainer to reach the end wins the competition!" That garnered a cheer, despite the obviousness of the statement. "However, each part is a different obstacle and, as such, each trainer will be required to use a different Pokémon in each phase. To this point, each trainer must use four different Pokémon over the course of the race. If a trainer does not have four Pokémon, they are allowed to repeat, but they must first use all of their other Pokémon. If you select this option, make sure you indicate it to the attendant who will be overseeing the race."

"So, you have to choose the best Pokémon to get you through each course of the race? That's going to require some heavy strategy," Brock observed, looking just a little concerned.

"Strategy? That's not exactly Ash's forte," Gary said, though he wasn't exactly wearing a look of despair. "Then again, I guess if it was, he might not have the sheer determination to make it through everything."

"Luckily, the glass box means that they can see what they're up against," Clemont said, not a speck of nervousness finding its way into his voice. Bonnie climbed up a little and tried looking onto the very lowest part of the obstacle course.

"I see Rhyhorn!" she chirruped. Serena followed her gaze and noticed that there were, indeed, six Rhyhorn on the final stretch of the field at the bottom. "It's a Rhyhorn Race!"

"Huh…maybe I should have gone out," Serena said, but she immediately dismissed the thought. Ash had been looking so happy to actually compete, not to mention that while she was an ace at Rhyhorn Racing, she hardly believed she could get through all the other parts, the water part in particular. "Oh well…Let's all cheer extra hard for Ash!"

"Trainers, you will now be given five minutes to select the Pokémon you wish to use for the race. However, be warned," Harry said, a sudden and almost ominous chill settling into his voice, "you will not be alone in the race. Professor Sycamore has graciously provided us with Pokémon from his lab to help take part in this competition."

"They're all well-trained, so there is no need to worry about any substantial harm being done to the trainers or Pokémon taking part," Sycamore explained, making most of the crowd seem less apprehensive. "That doesn't mean they haven't been informed about the stakes in this competition. They may very well attack an unsuspecting trainer."

"Right you are, professor, and that may slow down our competitors in this race. Looks like they'll have to be very careful."

"I wonder, will ze course itself be safe from all of ze Pokémon attacks?" Pierre asked. At his question, Aston gave a rather hearty chuckle.

"I designed it myself with some of the top engineers!" he said confidently. "That thing may look like it's made of brittle glass. However, it's anything but! They could take a Giga Impact from a Mega Evolution no problem. After all, we've been planning this for almost seven years!"

"Well, I think we all look forward to what our competitors will show us today, and since it seems we have some rivalries on the field, this will just make it all the more exciting! Trainers, please approach the elevator on the side of the field." Each trainer obeyed Harry's orders, stepping onto the blue platform that would apparently carry them to the top of the course. "As you ascend each tier, please place the Pokémon you wish to use for that portion in the appropriate spot."

Soon after he said this, the elevator began moving upward. The trainers, despite their earlier friendly interactions, were hardly saying anything. When they reached the first level, most of the trainers put a pokeball into the slot. Ash, meanwhile, had Pikachu hop down from his shoulder and crawl in. The sight was a little funny, seeing Pikachu try to crawl through such a small hole, until the elevator attendant opened a larger door so that Pikachu could get in. Ash nodded to his best friend and the elevator began moving again. The same thing happened at the next two spots until they finally reached the top. A door (which was practically invisible to the naked eye) slid open and allowed the trainers to step out onto the edge of a canyon. At that moment, the screens around the coliseum lit up and gave various shots of what was going on inside the course, even including some close-ups.

"Folks, you can watch every piece of the action either inside the box or on the screens. We even provide audio, and the trainers will be able to hear your screams to push them forward," Kalas exclaimed. "Now that we're all set, the race will begin at the Hyper Beam."

An unusual silence filled the stadium at the final announcement. It was almost like everyone was waiting to exhale, holding a breath that would signal the race to begin. Serena could only imagine just how Ash was feeling waiting on both a literal and figurative precipice, one foot in front of the other. On either side of him were Tierno and Conway, both mimicking Ash's position. In fact, all of them looked like they were ready to spring off. Serena could hear her own breathing amidst the silent audience, feel her own heartbeat quivering beneath her skin. She didn't know why she was so nervous about this, more so than her own battle, but she wanted Ash to pull out his win. She sucked in a breath.

The Hyper Beam fired.

Ash and Tierno were the first to set off, jumping onto the first nearby stone pillar before even sending out their Pokémon. On the other hand, the other four trainers sent out their Pokémon before even trying to take a step. Kael wasted no time in calling out a Machoke who took the initiative by grabbing his trainer and tossing him onto the nearest stone pillar. Conway appeared to call a Heracross on whose back he jumped. Heracross started flitting from pillar to pillar. Christopher, as was his norm, said nothing and called out a rather large Skarmory. Like Conway, he rode on its back, but he didn't hop from cliff to cliff. He just started to sail ahead.

"Meowstic, come out and use Psychic," Miette said, her face in a close-up as she called her Pokémon out. The Constraint Pokémon's eyes lit up blue and Miette began to hover into the air. "This is how you cross a canyon."

"Don't count us out!" Ash called back, jumping to the next foothold. Once he was secure he tossed a pokeball into the air. "Talonflame, I choose you!"

"Talon!"

"All right! Talonflame, think you can carry me across?" Ash asked of his brave Pokémon. Talonflame spread its wings wide and hovered low enough for Ash to grab onto it as a response. Ash pumped his fist and grabbed on. Talonflame sank a little, but was otherwise able to hold Ash's weight. Bonnie flinched a little next to Serena.

"I hope he'll be okay…It'll be dangerous if he falls…" she commented, her tone actually quivering. Serena shared the girl's sentiments but said nothing.

"See you at the finish, Tierno!" Ash called out as Talonflame took off across the canyon. Surprisingly, Tierno wasn't far behind, his Hitmontop having been called out and leading him across the most secure rocks.

"Don't think so, Ash. I'll be side by side with you until I pass you," the black-haired dancer responded, making a nimble leap to the next rock. Conway and Miette were still some ways behind him while Kael was drawing even. Christopher was leading the pack.

"No way. Talonflame, Flame Charge!"

"Is he insane?" Gary suddenly shouted. "Does he  _want_  to light his whole body on fire?"

"That's Ash for you…" Bonnie said. The other three all hummed in agreement with the little girl's opinion. "He's brilliant and insane at the same time."

Serena couldn't agree more. She turned her attention back towards Ash in the obstacle course, watching as Talonflame's body lit on fire, speeding up just a little. Ash seemed okay, though his hands did appear to be a little red as they held onto Talonflame's…well, talons. The most frightening aspect of this for Serena was that as soon as one Flame Charge was to end, the Scorching Pokémon used another one. Ash didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was gaining in the lead on Christopher, who only spared a very brief glance to Ash as he sped past him.

"It makes sense in theory," Clemont commented. "Flame Charge speeds up the Pokémon with every single use, so if Ash keeps using it, despite whatever damage he might take, Talonflame will keep getting faster and faster."

"The others are figuring out their own strategies, though," Brock pointed out. "None of them has the advantage like Christopher does with his Skarmory, so they're all figuring something else out. Conway's strategy is particularly impressive."

Before Serena could look to see just what it was, Kalas actually decided to make a commentary statement about it. "We're seeing some very interesting approaches in crossing the canyon. Conway and his Heracross seem to almost be playing a game of leapfrog and then separating the moment they hit a pillar to even out the balance. Miette and Meowstic seem to be having a difficult time, though. I guess that little cat just can't cross those big gaps as quickly as Miette would like."

"Tierno's quite the skilled jumper, though," Sycamore stated. "He and Hitmontop are utilizing a very interesting strategy of timing their jumps with proper movement. This allows them to land and jump again by using Hitmontop's spinning as a metronome. Very impressive. Kael appears to be trying to replicate that approach, but Machoke just isn't cut out for that sort of thing."

"Zey are most interesting approaches, although zat boy with ze Talonflame is most reckless. Allowing his hands to burn simply to speed up his Pokémon…it is quite galling," Pierre said, leading many to murmur in obvious agreement. Next to Pierre, Aston appeared to be laughing quite heartily.

"I take the opposite opinion. He has guts and a wicked streak of intelligence," Aston chuckled out. "Flame Charge may hurt the boy, but that he's so willing to be hurt and that he trusts in his Pokémon, I think, is something worth more than any victory in this competition. Just look at him fly."

Indeed, Ash's use of Flame Charge had sped him far ahead of all the other competitors as the first leg of the obstacle course was coming to its end. Christopher wasn't far behind, and Tierno was bringing up the front three of the pack, moving with an impressive rhythm that helped him to move from rock to rock without fear of falling even once. A bit back, Conway's odd but effective strategy was bringing him forward quickly.

"Talonflame, return!" Ash called and Serena saw him drop from the air and onto the ground that signified the end of the first leg of the course. Tucking his pokeball safely inside his pocket, Ash ran to the nearby slide, rubbing his blistered hands. Serena swallowed in fear, actually hearing the lump in her throat moving. Ash was the first to slide down and Tierno and Christopher weren't far behind. As soon as Ash's feet hit the second level of the course, he sent another pokeball flying. "Hawlucha, I choose you!"

"Lucha ha!" Hawlucha cried as he climbed onto Ash's shoulder and took to gliding in the air. Ash ran forward at full speed with Hawlucha right ahead of him. Behind him, Christopher had started on a different path. In fact, Serena now noticed that each trainer was assigned their own path, rather than being on the same one as they had above and each of them was pulling out another new Pokémon, as per the rules. Tierno had called out Politoed while Christopher had called out a Hitmonlee. By this time, Conway had arrived and called out his Dusknoir. Miette and Kael were the last to reach the second leg of the obstacle course, but they were already so far behind that the others were well and started.

Just like the first leg, the second portion of the course saw each trainer using their own distinct style. Tierno and Politoed were doing the same as they had done on the first part, dancing in a rhythm to avoid the logs swinging back and forth. They were currently inching slightly ahead of Ash. Christopher was also making his way as Hitmonlee would judge the distance and run ahead, signaling his trainer. This strategy seemed to work well for them until a flock of Pidgey suddenly emerged from the brush surrounding the log paths. Hitmonlee appeared to get flustered and started batting them away, causing the whole flock of them to attack. Unable to use any other Pokémon but Hitmonlee, Christopher seemed to be backed into a corner.

Serena's eyes slid over to the newly arrived trainers. Miette seemed to be catching her breath while Kael was fumbling with his pokeball like this race was some kind of comedy routine. Only Conway seemed to be taking the race with any sort of seriousness. His Dusknoir floated in front of him and made a sudden use of Trick Room on his path. The logs suddenly slowed in position and allowed Conway to take a leisurely stroll down the path, starting to get caught up on the frontrunners in the race.

Then, Serena noticed Ash, running forward at full-steam. To some, it may have looked stubborn and hot-headed, especially after all the strategies that the other participants were pulling out. But as Serena looked closer, she could tell that Ash  _was_  using a strategy. He was shouting to Hawlucha.

"Left! Right! Karate Chop both!" Ash would yell. As Hawlucha continued its gliding along, he would knock the logs away with perfect timing to allow them to continue through. The race was still neck and neck, but Ash was displaying quick reflexes and even quicker thinking. A log suddenly swung at him from the front. "Hi Jump Kick!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha roared, slamming upward into the log with his knee and splitting it in two.

"Great job, Hawlucha!" The end was nearing for Ash when a huge blast happened on the next path over. Kael was stumbling, as though he'd done something incredibly wrong. Ash turned his head a little and Serena saw a multitude of logs suddenly come flying at him.

"I can't watch!" Bonnie shrieked, covering her and Dedenne's eyes. Serena couldn't  _stop_  watching, and she was able to see how Ash acted with complete grace under the pressure.

"Flying Press!" Hawlucha jumped on another incoming log and he rode it over towards the freefalling logs. He leapt off, spun in midair and slammed down on the logs, breaking them apart and saving his trainer from the hit. Ash's feet safely hit the other side and he called Hawlucha back before the logs could hit him. He smiled and dashed down the nearby slide. Tierno had reached it right before him, while Conway was right behind him. A minute later, Christopher had finally arrived. As for Kael and Miette…the blue-haired girl was lagging behind, but the other boy…

"It appears Kael has dropped out of the running after a disastrous use of an Aggron on that course," Harry announced with something akin to amused embarrassment. "That leaves only five teams left to compete."

The race was becoming a nail biter and Serena couldn't help her hands rumpling her dress. Things were getting tighter the closer they reached the goal, and the trainers were forcing themselves to react quicker. As soon as Ash's feet slid onto the wet floor, he grabbed his next pokeball and Greninja emerged.

"I'll try to keep up with you Greninja," Ash said seriously, tucking his hat into his jacket as he dove into the water. "Let's reach the other side together!"

"Gren!" Greninja said. He leapt above Ash and began to run across the water. Being a human, and therefore much slower, Ash ran his arms as quickly as he could to keep up with his Pokémon. Tierno and Conway, on the other hand, were riding comfortably on the backs of their Pokémon as they sped across the water.

"Faster…" Ash groaned out, his mouth filling with a little water as he did so. "Gotta move faster! Greninja, let's win this!" The flash of light was bright, so bright that no one could see just what was going on inside the glass container or even on the cameras. One second, Ash was screaming and wild Pokémon were jumping out of the water, aiming for the trainers. The very next second, Ash was on the other side, exhausted and panting, his clothes soaked, but his face otherwise exuberant. He called Greninja back, and before he did, Serena noticed that Greninja looked very different…like…

"Ash-Greninja," Clemont commented. "I didn't think they'd get to that stage just from this competition."

"What kind of name is Ash-Greninja?" Bonnie asked. Before Clemont could protest, Bonnie ignored her brother. "Oh, well, let's watch Ash win!"

"I…I'm not sure exactly what just happened," Kalas said. Even the other announcers were so dumbfounded that they had nothing they could think of saying. It was no surprise; even his own traveling companions were confused by it, and they had been traveling with Ash ever since that strange transformation had ever taken place. What made it even more bizarre were Tierno and Conway spinning around on the water's surface while Christopher made to pass them. They quickly recovered after that, but Ash had finally reached the final level.

"That was definitely strange…" Brock said concernedly. "He looks exhausted now."

"That seems to happen whenever Ash uses it…like he's one with Greninja," Clemont explained. "Maybe a Pokémon doctor like yourself could explain it."

"Could all of you just stop talking? !" Bonnie snapped angrily. "I wanna watch!"

Serena was in complete agreement with Bonnie, her heart clenching uncomfortably. The final stage of the race had begun, and Ash was in the lead. Pikachu greeted Ash when he reached that stage, hopping happily onto his shoulder as Ash ran to the nearest Rhyhorn.

"The final phase of our competition has begun with Ash Ketchum in the lead by what seems to be a large margin," Kalas said, his voice mirroring the excitement in the crowd. "Our final stage is Rhyhorn Racing! Will Ash make it out of it in first?"

Ash quickly climbed on the back of the Rhyhorn and began riding it forward. He displayed all the gifts and abilities of a natural, making Serena's eyes light up in joy. The Rhyhorn began picking up speed, barreling down the cliff. The entire course was different with sharp turns and downward slopes towards the very end of the race. Pikachu ran out onto the horn of the Rhyhorn when suddenly a Pokémon attacked.

"Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Pikachu jumped off the Rhyhorn and slammed its tail into the incoming Diggersby. "Keep going! We gotta keep this Rhyhorn safe!"

"Pika Pikachu!" the electric Pokémon yelled. Ash took the turn sharply and shot down the next cliff, his face set in complete determination. Serena's eyes flicked upward and saw the other competitors were finally reaching the end of the third stage. Her eyes went back to Ash who was barreling down so fast, it made her whole body tense up. Pikachu was in front, keeping pace with Rhyhorn and batting aside any Pokémon coming after them.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Bonnie yelled gleefully, watching as Ash rounded his next turn. He was approaching the home stretch at last.

"Come on, Ash!"

"Give it your all, Ashy-boy!"

"Let's go!"

"Go for broke, Ash!" Serena yelled over her friends, her mother's motto echoing in her head. In that moment, everything disappeared for Serena and all she saw was Ash, forging ahead on that Rhyhorn. His hands were blistered and his body must have been exhausted and sopping wet, but he continued riding. Ash and Pikachu weren't giving up, no matter what stood in their way. It was such an inspiration to Serena to see that that she stood up and screamed. "Let's win it all!"

That was when Ash fell over the finish line. Rhyhorn jerked to a halt as Ash cleared it, and Ash tumbled out of the saddle, sliding through the hole in the glass container and onto the coliseum ground. Up above, Tierno and Conway were practically neck and neck, albeit struggling. At the very top, Christopher's Tyrantrum was causing the Rhyhorn to go into an uninterrupted fear frenzy.

None of that mattered. Ash had won. Serena jumped to her feet and led the group in a run down to the coliseum proper. When they reached it, they saw Ash lying there, surrounded by his Pokémon in an exhausted haze but still happy. Serena ran forward and Bonnie tripped behind her, sending the whole group tumbling into a massive fall that ended in a practical group hug.

"Day three's competition is over!" Kalas roared to the crowd. "The winner is Ash Ketchum! Team Ketchum takes five points!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Whew…another long chapter. I really enjoyed writing it, though. I always wanted a super-intense obstacle course, and inside a stadium setting, this was the best way to do it. I hope you all thought it was great. My plot is moving apace and I hope you're ready for some more exciting battles in the next chapter!
> 
> Your reviews and favorites and follows keep my fire for this story burning brighter than ever. So, until then, please do Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	9. A Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun times a brewin'! This story has really become semi-popular, and I'm a little surprised. Pleasantly so, of course, and I hope it grows in popularity. But for now there are more important things to focus on: like Chapter 9!

Chapter 9

A Loss

"The winner is Ash Ketchum! Team Ketchum takes five points!"

"You don't say?" Snapping her monitor closed, the girl looked over the cheering crowd and into the coliseum. She had vaguely been paying attention to the actual competition. So far they had been so boring and uninspiring. For the premiere Kalos Tournament besides the League, she felt it was actually rather underwhelming.

True, she had watched some parts, heard some sappy speeches that meant little to her, but was otherwise un-invested in the occurrences of the tournament. At least, she had been until today when a little light caught her eyes. Well, it had hardly been a little light, considering it seemed to have eclipsed the entire box, shrouding whatever had happened from view. Even with her sharp eyesight, she had only managed to catch snippets through the glass: the Greninja had  _transformed_. Not only that, but the Greninja and its trainer had actually synched up. The odds were astronomical, but it showed one thing to the teenage girl. This Ash kid was something special.

From that moment, her eyes had been glued to the rest of the competition. The way he rode that Rhyhorn, the way he commanded his Pikachu, and the way he had driven himself forward after whatever abuse he had put himself through…it impressed her. And she wasn't easily impressed. Smirking to herself, she grabbed the small stone out of her pocket, watching it glint in the sunlight. It had taken work to get this, and maybe she had finally found someone she could match its power against. Down below, the scoreboard representing the new point totals had emerged.

TEAM BRUTAL 19

TEAM KETCHUM 15

TEAM COORDINATOR 14

TEAM TRAINER 11

TEAM RESEARCH 9

TEAM PERFORMER 8

Team Ketchum seemed to be really moving up in the ranks, after their dead last placement on the first day, to be in second place after just two and a half days. It was kind of a nice sight to see. The underdogs who had a near impossible chance of winning, turning it around and succeeding. It was nice to know that she still had a chance. The audience was clearing out of the stadium for lunch while Team Ketchum were laughing and crying tears of joy as they made their way off the field. The girl closed her eyes, remembering what it was like to once feel those fleeting smiles on her face. Tears formed and flowed out of her closed eyelids as a memory floated to her.  _Aster…I miss you._

Suddenly, her monitor rang out shrilly and she looked down to it. Sighing, she answered the call, a bit annoyed that her reverie had been interrupted. "Did you watch the competition?"

"What do you think?" The voice on the other end laughed at her response. "Why are you calling? It's too dangerous."

"Someone's grumpy because they didn't get much sleep."

"You know we had to do it last night, otherwise we won't be ready in time," she snapped irritably. The girl stood, her cape fluttering in the wind and she looked over the vastness of Ancien City, right into the castle.

"I know, I know…Anyway, I should get back."

"You shouldn't have even called, idiot," she snapped back. "Do you want to blow your pathetic cover?"

"I know…I just…I worried," the voice said back to her. She scowled; she didn't need anyone worrying about her. "I figured that…seeing it…reminded you of her."

"It did, but don't worry. We'll make everything right soon." The voice on the other end sighed, but there was a smile behind that sigh. She could hear it.

"Yeah…we'll make everything right, Zinnia."

* * *

"Ow!" Ash yelped. His hands were stinging from the antibiotic that Brock was placing on them. Sure, he knew that Flame Charge was a stupid move to use while he was hanging on, but seeing the look of pure joy on his friends' faces at his win made it all worth it. "That really stings!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have done something so incredibly stupid!" Brock said sternly. Ash recoiled for a moment. Brock usually wasn't that scary, but when he got angry, the black-haired trainer knew it was best to just agree with him…sort of like Misty, but she seemed angry all the time. "Honestly, Ash, I know you like the danger and doing things like that, but one day you might get yourself killed."

"But I'm fine," Ash said almost jokingly. Brock glared at him so hard that even Serena and the others were backing into a corner of the room. Gary got around to the back of Brock so he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. "Okay, okay, I won't pull anymore reckless stunts, I promise."

"You'll just break it tomorrow," Brock said. He then sighed in resignation. "I just want you to think about things."

A knock came at the door and everyone in the room looked to see that their lunch cart had arrived, and some guests with it. Dawn and May came running into the room, although it turned out that they had been escorted by none other than Professor Sycamore.

"Your friends were worried about you, it seems," Sycamore told them kindly, raising a hand in greeting. "I was, as well. You look like you exhausted yourself out there."

"Eh, I feel fine," Ash said emphatically, raising his arms above his head as if to prove a point. "I'm excited for this afternoon, though. I wonder what all the battles will be like."

"Ash, you looked like you almost killed yourself from exhaustion out there," Dawn said with a frown on her face. Ash turned his head and saw Brock looking at him with an "I told you so" face. He chuckled nervously in response.

"Come on, Dawn, no need to worry!" Ash said, causing the bluenette to give up. At this, she and May just turned around and left the room, realizing they weren't going to get anywhere with him. It wasn't like Ash wanted to worry anyone, but they were all making such a fuss over things that he considered normal. Professor Sycamore didn't leave and sat down on one of the beds, like he was going to make conversation with them.

"So, Ash, you and Greninja…what was that?" he asked sternly. His gaze was sharpened and focused and Ash forced out a very nervous chuckle.

"What are you talking about, professor?" he asked. Truthfully, he was drawing a blank about what the professor could even be hinting at. Last he remembered was pushing himself through the water and then riding that Rhyhorn to the finish. He had received such a spike of adrenaline at that third leg of the race that he hardly remembered anything but actually finishing the race. Professor Sycamore looked disappointed.

"Ash, he's talking about you and Greninja in the water, when that blinding light filled the whole entire course," Clemont tried explaining. Ash just stared at him in confusion, truly not understanding what Clemont was getting at.

"When did that happen?" Everyone in the room practically fell over from that. Brock was the first one to recover.

"I guess all the excitement in that part of the race must have made him forget," he figured. Everyone else just accepted Brock's guess as fact. Professor Sycamore stood once again, looking slightly disappointed.

"Well, that's a shame…I thought it would be a fun new phenomenon to research, but I guess that'll have to wait. Good luck on the rest of the tournament today, guys."

"Yeah! Thanks for stopping by, professor!" Sycamore nodded and was out the door moments later. Ash flung himself backwards onto one of the beds. He really was feeling exhausted, but at the sight of Pikachu bringing a plate over to him, he found the requisite energy to get up and eat. "Sorry I can't remember, guys, but it was pretty intense in there."

"We're not too worried about it," Clemont admitted. "I don't think the other competitors were expecting it, though."

"Ash was so cool!" Bonnie cheered, jumping up and down with Dedenne and Squishy. Okay, Squishy wasn't really jumping, but it did bounce around in Bonnie's bag.

"You really were," Serena said softly, taking a seat next to Ash on the bed. Ash looked over to say something, but his words caught in his throat. He didn't know why this was happening; Serena had always been easy to talk to on those late nights or on the road or before a gym battle. Why, now, was it suddenly so difficult to say anything to her?

 _Do your best, Ash. How about, if I win, you and I go for dinner, somewhere cozy and alone, and if you win, I'll leave you and Serena alone the rest of the week so the two of you can get a little close. If you know what I mean._  Miette had said those words to him, and they confused the heck out of him, and embarrassed him. That is, they only confused him until he looked at Serena and something became stunningly clear in a way he hadn't thought: Serena was a very pretty girl. Now, of course, Ash was no stranger to pretty girls. He may not have been particularly versed in the realm of romance, but he had enough of a male brain to notice that Misty, May, Dawn and (with a repressed shudder) Iris were all very pretty. Not to mention half the girls that he'd met on his long journeys. Serena's prettiness, though, was different. It wasn't just an observation; it was a feeling.

For the first time in Ash's life, he thought a girl was absolutely breathtaking. And this was a girl he saw every day for the last few months! Miette's comment, as strange as it sounded, changed Ash's perspective. It was like a hole was drilled in Ash's brain that allowed common sense and the ability to read between the lines to flood into his brain. Miette  _wasn't_  talking about dinner, but something else. Suddenly, Ash didn't want to win this for the team. He wanted to win it for Serena. And he did, but now it made him feel so awkward.

"Are you okay, Ash? You're staring," Serena said kindly. Ash blinked, realizing exactly what he was doing.

"Uh…just spacing out," Ash said, and he turned to his delicious lunch once more. Clearly he was just hungry, otherwise he wouldn't be having these strange thoughts. Serena was a great, pretty friend…no, a cute friend…Beautiful?  _Agh, stop it!_  Ash wanted to clutch at his head from his conflicting thoughts. Pikachu looked up from his lap at his trainer and Ash looked down.  _Right, nothing to worry about. Serena's always been cute, so nothing's different._  After convincing himself of that, it became much easier to hold a conversation with her which lasted until lunch was over and the battle rounds were about to begin. Yawning to himself, Ash led the group back out to their stands just before Harry called an order to the afternoon affairs.

"Let's see our team matchups!"

TEAM RESEARCH vs. TEAM COORDINATOR

TEAM PERFORMER vs. TEAM KETCHUM

TEAM BRUTAL vs. TEAM TRAINER

"Without further ado, let's see who are first round of battlers are." Ash tuned his head to the screen and watched as the very few faces remaining on both teams began to be cycled through until they stopped on, "Jameson of Team Research and Shauna of Team Coordinator!"

"Ooh, Shauna's up!" Serena chirped happily, a smile stretching her face. That made Ash smile as well until Brock nudged him and he turned to his friend.

"What are James' Pokémon this time?" he asked. Ash blinked a little, trying to remember just what kind of Pokémon James used in Kalos. He had had so many battles with him, most of them short, and yet it still took him a moment to remember.

"Inkay, I think," Ash finally answered. Brock looked contemplative about that and he turned back to the arena. Ash joined him in watching as James and Shauna both came onto the field. On his other side, Serena was cheering heartily for Shauna. Once more, the announcer was reading off the same rules they had been hearing the last three days, allowing Ash to zone out just a little bit. Actually, he was almost falling asleep, only jerking awake when Bonnie shoved herself in between himself and Serena.

"Go, Shauna! Show Team Rocket who's boss!" Bonnie was yelling. Clemont grabbed Bonnie with his Aipom Arm and pulled her away before she could fall off the edge. Ash was grateful for the girl's actions, though, since he was now fully jolted awake and ready to watch the match. He couldn't believe that the competition had taken so much out of him.

"That's rude, little twer…I mean, little girl," James snapped back up at their stands. Bonnie just stuck her tongue out at the blue haired man. James just humphed and turned to the battlefield, adjusting the glasses on his face. "Okay, Inkay!"

"Time to show off, Ivysaur!" Shauna called. Both Pokémon emerged onto the field with battle cries. When they finished, the bell rang and the battle began. "Razor Leaf!"

"Saur! Ivysaur!" The Seed Pokémon took a little step forward and the leaves came flying out, aiming right for Inkay with quite a quick speed.

"Dodge it, Inkay, and use Tackle!" James commanded. To Ash's surprise, Inkay flitted into the storm of leaves and managed to actually navigate the maze of them as they cut through the air, not being touched once. Maybe he was jaded from all his fights with Team Rocket, but he was surprised that Inkay could actually move so fast. Ivysaur, being bigger and slower, couldn't avoid the Rotating Pokémon's attack. Inkay slammed into Ivysaur and bounded off as the Grass type recoiled.

"Energy Ball!" Shauna called out. From Ivysaur's mouth came a green orb of energy aiming right for Inkay.

"Counter with Psybeam!" James called out. Inkay twirled around a little and sent a Psybeam that collided with Energy Ball and caused it to explode in a cloud of dust. Ash continued to stare at the scene of the battle in rapt attention; James was one heck of a battler when he wasn't trying to capture Pikachu. "Tackle again!"

"Vine Whip, Ivysaur!" Vines stretched out from Ivysaur's bulb and whipped through the air towards the hurtling Inkay. Before James' Pokémon could stop its attack, the vines grabbed Inkay around its middle and slammed it into the ground.

"Oh no, Inkay!" James cried out. "Get up and use Psybeam once more!"

"Use Solarbeam!" Ivysaur hunkered down and began gathering light into the bulb on its back. Inkay floated back up into the air, now looking a little mad, and fired off a Psybeam at Ivysaur. Just as it seemed the Seed Pokémon was finished charging, the Psybeam struck it and it exploded in a burst of colors, a faint purple glow on the Grass type which sent Ivysaur sliding back on the battlefield. The bright glow from its bulb disappeared.

"That's right, Jameson, show them how it's done!" Jessie appeared to cry from Team Research's area two sections over.

"Dat's our boy!" Meowth agreed with the magenta-haired trainer. "You've got dis in da bag!" In the same section, Ash noticed Conway staring at them with something akin to exasperation while trying to pull the both of them back from falling over the stadium's side. This appeared to ignite an argument between the three while the battle between Shauna and James raged on.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf again!" However, Ivysaur wasn't in a position to use any attack whatsoever. Instead, Ivysaur was stumbling around the battlefield, as though it were unsure what it was doing. The result of the Psybeam was very clear: Ivysaur was confused.

"Now's our chance, Inkay! Tackle!"

"Inkay!" the Dark and Psychic type called, shooting for Ivysaur once again.

"Come on, Ivysaur, snap out of it!" Shauna begged of her Pokémon. Unfortunately, it appeared that Ivysaur just wasn't in a state to listen. Inkay twisted and twirled around it, battering Ivysaur with Tackle like it was a punching bag, all sides getting hit again and again. It wasn't cruel, necessarily, but it wasn't pretty to watch such a one-sided battle. Ash had been on the losing end of them before and it wasn't enjoyable at all. Just as Inkay appeared to be aiming for its final blow, Ivysaur came out of its confusion. "All right, Ivysaur! Energy Ball!"

"Ah, Inkay, dodge!" It was too late for the smaller Pokémon as it took an Energy Ball at point blank range. The green orb burst in a similar color explosion and Inkay sailed backwards, evidently damaged rather hard from the attack. It righted itself, only for Shauna to call out a Vine Whip attack that smacked Inkay across its face rapidly. "Don't take that. Use Foul Play!"

"Kay Inkay!" Inkay said angrily. As the next vine started coming at it, Inkay's stubby arms grabbed the Vine Whip and with a tremendous heave of strength, pulled the vines taut and lifted Ivysaur into the air. Helpless to do much, Ivysaur squirmed and wriggled in the air as Inkay tossed it over itself and it fell onto the ground, taking damage. Ivysaur looked tired as it landed and skidded across the ground.

"Solarbeam, one more time," Shauna called out to her Pokémon. Once again, Ivysaur's back bulb began to glow, coalescing into a single point for its attack. The charging for Solarbeam was much faster this time. "Let's go!"

"Psybeam, Inkay!" The two Pokémon fired their attacks simultaneously. This time, instead of colliding in a burst of color, they barely grazed past each other, each hitting their intended target. Ivysaur was impacted by the multi-colored lights and Inkay was consumed in the beam of sunlight. The audience gave a loud gasp and even their own teams seemed to be waiting on pins and needles to see what the result of the battle would be. When the smoke cleared, both Ivysaur and Inkay had fallen.

"Double knockout!" the referee told the trainers. "Both Ivysaur and Inkay are unable to battle, therefore I declare this match a tie."

"Well, that's certainly one way to bring about a tie," Kalas said. Ash was rather surprised. James and his Inkay had actually managed to fight Shauna's number one Pokémon to a double knockout. If he had spent less time on thieving and more time on training, Ash had to wonder if he could be a trainer that even Ash wouldn't be able to beat.

"Aw…Shauna didn't win…" Bonnie pouted. Clemont had finally let go of her, but she showed no want to even climb back up to where she had been. Serena laughed, her laugh sounding like a cool breeze on the ocean. That description felt a little weird in Ash's brain, but was also accurate enough.

"Well, she did her best," the Performer responded to the younger girl.

"So did James…" Brock commented, admiration actually present in his voice. "His Inkay is one heck of a Pokémon. Well taken care of and a strong battler despite being a first stage. James could go far if he raised it for battling."

"Forget them," Gary said, pointing to the board that was now randomly selecting trainers for the next battle. It meant that they were up next. "Whoever doesn't get chosen will be battling with Ash in tomorrow's tag battle. Either me or Clemont, in other words."

Right as he said these words, the trainers to participate were decided. Kalas, naturally, saw fit to announce them to the crowd. "The next matchup is Team Ketchum's Gary Oak against Team Performer's Nini. Good luck out there, trainers."

"Good luck," Ash said, fistbumping Gary as he strode out to the arena. He just gave a passing wave of his hand as he departed. For the first time since their own teammates had been announced for the battles, Ash had full confidence that they would win this one. Serena had been an unfortunate matchup with Conway and Dawn and Brock knew each other well enough to make it an intense battle with no clear outcome. For this one, though, Gary was the superior battler no matter what. Nini was a great Performer, but there was no way she could hold a candle to Gary.

"I haven't seen Gary battle competitively since the Silver Conference," Brock observed. Ash nodded next to him, as it was the same for him. "Wonder who he's going to use."

"Farfetch'd, let's play!" Nini cried, her Pokémon emerging from its pokeball. Somehow, her choice to battle with wasn't surprising at all. Gary spared the flying Pokémon a single glance before tossing his own pokeball onto the field.

"Let's win, Umbreon," he said stoically. That was truly classic Gary: calm, cool and collected in the face of the upcoming battle. Granting that he hadn't been that way through the whole of their battle in the Silver Conference (or at least, that was Ash's recollection) but for a battle like this, it would suffice. The bell rang loudly across the stadium. "Reflect!"

"Umbreon…" Umbreon said in a low tone as the move glowed brightly and wrapped itself like a shield around Umbreon. Nini wasn't exactly standing by, however, already moving into action.

"Farfetch'd, use Fury Cutter!" The Wild Duck Pokémon sprang forward, its leek glowing a bright white and it brought it slamming down onto Umbreon's head. Umbreon recoiled and skidded backwards, but otherwise looked unharmed.

"Nini used a good move, but Umbreon's Reflect appears to have had it take minimal damage," Sycamore said to the crowd, explaining just why Umbreon looked so undamaged from a super-effective attack.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Umbreon darted forward, a small white aura surrounding its figure.

"Block it with your leek, Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd obeyed its trainer's command and held its leek out like it was an actual sword. Umbreon kept charging forward and slammed into the leek, pushing both of the Pokémon back towards Nini. Farfetch'd held steady, the leek having just enough strength behind it to hold Umbreon back by the head. Once it realized that it wasn't getting anywhere with a frontal approach, Umbreon hopped backward. "Now use Swords Dance!"

Gary and Umbreon appeared to observe silently while blue swords surrounded Farfetch'd's body as its eyes were closed. Its body then glowed the same blue shade briefly. The real battle was about to begin. "Umbreon, be careful and watch every movement."

"Farfetch'd, use Acrobatics!" Farfetch'd took to the air quickly and zipped around. Umbreon remained in a fixed position, its red eyes darting back and forth as it tried to follow Farfetch'd's movement. It didn't help Umbreon dodge as the other Pokémon zigzagged quickly before it slammed straight into it, driving it across the field. Ash's vision narrowed. Umbreon hadn't tried to avoid that attack whatsoever and Gary hadn't even tried to give a command to it.

"He's testing its strength…" Clemont said out loud in admiration. "Taking the hit after Swords Dance to see just how much damage it would do."

"Umbreon, Quick Attack," Gary snapped out. Umbreon sprang into action once again, zipping around the battlefield. This time it was Farfetch'd who had to pay close attention to its opponent. Unlike Acrobatics, however, Umbreon's Quick Attack was longer lasting and was starting to catch the other Pokémon off guard, despite not being quite as fast.

"Quick, Farfetch'd, use Fury Cutter." That was easier said than done as Umbreon was hardly giving a moment to get in close. When it finally did, Farfetch'd swung its glowing leek, only for Umbreon to dodge to the side and ram itself into Farfetch'd. All the strength enhancement in the world wasn't going to do it any good against Gary's quick reactions.

"Quick Attack again, and use Shadow Ball continuously," Gary said, his own gaze appearing focused on the battlefield. Mutters of confusion rose up through the crowd and even Ash couldn't figure out just what Gary was up to from his attacks. Shadow Ball was useless on a Normal type like Farfetch'd. Yet Umbreon continued zipping around the field, firing them off without a single interruption. Even Nini couldn't figure it out, and both she and Farfetch'd remained transfixed on what Gary was doing. That's when Ash saw the pattern.

All of the Shadow Balls were aiming towards Farfetch'd, despite its immunity, yet Umbreon was staying in the same general area. And from the amount that Umbreon was firing off, it was starting to look like a wall of Shadow Balls so pitch black and all over the place to the point that one wasn't able to see through it. Umbreon was now hiding in plain sight, and Farfetch'd would never be able to see it coming.

"Use Psychic and push the Shadow Balls forward!" Ash couldn't see Umbreon through the haze of Shadow Balls, but he could see that ominous wall moving forward like a cover of darkness, the Shadow Balls all pulsating like a creepy heartbeat full of life. Nini seemed to be panicking on the other side of the field.

"Farfetch'd! Use Slash to blast them away!" Farfetch'd took to the air and began slashing at the Shadow Balls, trying to make an opening in order to destroy the wall. That turned out to be exactly what Gary was waiting for and once the slightest gap in his wall had been made, Umbreon shot out, using a Quick Attack to once again nail Farfetch'd in the chest. Having no defense this time, Farfetch'd crumpled to the floor.

"Finish it off with Psychic!" The wall crumbled away into oblivion as Umbreon's eyes glowed blue and a squawking Farfetch'd was lifted into the air, spun around and then slammed on the ground. The referee didn't even need to call it to know the battle was over. He called it anyway.

"Farfetch'd is unable to battle. Therefore, the winner is Umbreon, and the victory goes to Gary of Team Ketchum."

"All right!" Bonnie cheered along with the rest of the roaring crowd.

"What a victory!" Harry called over the crowd. "Team Ketchum has certainly been strutting its stuff today. From its victory in the competition to this effortless strategy from Gary Oak, is there anyone that can stop this team?"

Gary stopped in his tracks back towards their waiting room. He raised his fist in the air and called out to the crowd, "You can't stop us! We're going straight to the top! Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Ash led his friends in yelling out. They also raised their own fists to the air and the crowd ate it up, cheering wildly. When the great cries of victory subsided, the commentators seemed ready to move on with the final match of the day.

"Well, let's not carried away folks," Kalas said with a chuckle. "We've still got one more match, and it promises to be a good one. Team Trainer against Team Brutal!"

Once more the crowd roared as the roulette for the final match of the day began. Ash felt himself more nervous about this choice than any of the others before. It seemed like an eternity before the selections were finally made. He even closed his eyes to wait for the matchup to be chosen. When the ding was heard, he opened his eyes and saw the results: Sawyer versus Bethany. Ash looked over to Clemont at the choices. They knew what both of their gazes meant. Tomorrow, Ash and Clemont could potentially face Seamus and Travis in the tag battle…potentially.

"Hold on to your seats, folks, because these are two trainers we haven't even seen compete yet in this tournament. I'm sure their battle will prove to be something special!" Kalas roared to the crowd. Over the edge of the balcony, Ash could see Sawyer on the field, waving up at his team enthusiastically. He also turned and caught sight of Ash, waving at him madly as well. Ash waved back and turned his head to look at the boy's competitor.

Bethany was a cool turquoise haired girl. She had the similar small smirk that the rest of Team Brutal had, but she didn't seem to carry herself arrogantly. Rather, she walked with a little bounce in her step, tying her long hair into a ponytail as she went. Before she went on to begin her battle, she actually approached Sawyer.

"No hard feelings when you lose?" she asked. It may have sounded callous and arrogant, yet it sounded more like a challenge to Ash's ears than anything. Sawyer grinned and shook the girl's hand.

"I won't be the one losing," he replied with confidence. Ash wanted to yell for Sawyer to do his best, but opted for just sitting back and cheering him on silently. The two trainers nodded and headed back to their own boxes on the battlefield. For the last time that day, Kalas announced the rules and then the bell rang.

"Sceptile, come on out!" Sawyer yelled. As his lead Pokémon emerged on to the field, so too was Bethany calling her own Pokémon: a Vanilluxe.

"Ooh, Sawyer's already at the disadvantage," Serena commented, looking a little nervous.

"Sawyer will pull through," Ash said, placing a hand on her shoulder. It felt extremely warm on his palm. Ash quickly removed his hand and decided to trade it for a smile. He definitely didn't remember his hand being that warm when he held Serena's last night. Maybe he was getting sick; he was pretty tired, after all. "He knows that it's not all about type matchups."

"Vanilluxe, use Hail!"

"Oh boy…" Bonnie said in a deadpan. Ash wasn't surprised as a veritable snowstorm coalesced above Vanilluxe and the battlefield, soon bathing the entire arena in frigid temperatures and falling hail. It wasn't contained to just the arena either as the whole coliseum, stands included, was awash in the falling hail. Brock brought his arms close to himself and Bonnie's teeth started chattering.

"It's cold…" Clemont said, yet he managed to smile through his chattering. "But don't worry, the future is now thanks to science! I call this the Cold Weather Portable Heater."

"Who cares about the name, Clemont?" Bonnie snapped irritably. "Make me warm."

"I second that," Gary said, piping up. It was a little surprising and humorous to see the three suddenly huddle together under what could only be described as a thermal-lined tent. It looked bland, but still…

"Science is so amazing…" Ash breathed out, his breath coming out in a frost. "Serena, aren't you cold?"

"Want to…watch…b-b-battle," Serena chattered out. Ash nodded and understood. He couldn't stand watching Serena suffer through that, so he took his jacket off and handed it to her. She looked at him in surprise, but took it anyway. Pikachu jumped off of him to hide inside the jacket that Serena was now slipping on, his partner making sure to zip the jacket tight. Of course, this left Ash freezing, so he just decided to move a little closer to Serena for some warmth while he continued to watch.

"Sceptile, use Bullet Seed to deflect the Hail!" Sawyer commanded. The Forest Pokémon opened its mouth and fired its own hail of Bullet Seeds, small but powerful, at the impending attack.

"Nice moves, but you can't keep it up forever. That's what makes Hail so great," Bethany complimented him. Ash was starting to find this girl an enigma. She was a part of this vicious Team Brutal, and yet she was complimenting her opponents. Ash wasn't sure if it was a way to get inside his head, or if she genuinely meant every word of it. "Vanilluxe, Ice Beam!"

"Jump, Sceptile!" Sceptile slammed its tail on the ground and managed to very narrowly avoid the Ice Beam aimed at it. As it jumped up, Sceptile got buffeted by the hailstorm, but it was certainly the better alternative to getting hit dead on. "Now, dart in and use Leaf Blade to cut away the hail."

"Tile!" Sceptile cried out and it began running forward the second it hit the ground. From its arms came green, glowing blades. The hail continued falling around it, but Sceptile began slashing, knocking each piece of the hail away as fast as it could, all the while approaching Vanilluxe. It reached it quickly enough and began swinging down on the Snowstorm Pokémon.

"Use Harden!" Bethany commanded. Vanilluxe's body glowed just as Sceptile's Leaf Blade struck it. Even with the increased defense, Vanilluxe seemed to shudder underneath the weight of the attack. "Now, use Ice Beam."

"Fling it into the air with Leaf Storm!" Sceptile quickly whipped around before the Snowstorm Pokémon could let off its deadly ice attack. From its tail swirled numerous leaves that blasted outward and sent Vanilluxe flying into the air, practically helpless…at least until it twisted around in midair with no visible effort.

"Good, Vanilluxe, now use Mirror Shot!" An iron colored ball emerged near Vanilluxe's mouth and it blasted outward towards the recovering Sceptile. Sceptile was slammed in the chest and driven backwards as the shot impacted with a small, bright explosion. Bethany took advantage of the momentary confusion. "Use Ice Beam on the floor!"

"Don't let Vanilluxe do that, Sceptile! Use Bullet Seed now!" Sceptile finally regained its bearings and whipped its head upward, firing a stream of Bullet Seeds from his mouth at his opponent, each of them traveling at a consistent speed in a straight line.

"Redirect towards the Bullet Seed!" Vanilluxe changed the trajectory of its attack to collide with Sceptile's incoming assault. The two attacks collided and amidst the fierce hailstorm still going, Ash could see the sparkling Bullet Seeds turn to ice, like beautiful pieces of garland on Christmas.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm to knock the frozen Bullet Seed into Vanilluxe!" Sceptile whipped around once again and sent the storm of leaves like a cyclone racing towards the frozen, falling Bullet Seed. The attacks collided and the force of Leaf Storm sent the now frozen seeds back towards Vanilluxe. The Ice type had no time to counter and it was slammed into. "Now use Leaf Blade!"

"Ice Beam, quick!" Sceptile slammed its tail, sending itself upward once again, the glowing blades appearing on its arms. Its attack quickly became ill timed as Vanilluxe began to fall back to the ground in an arc, firing off its Ice Beam. Sceptile's attack missed with a rather loud  _whiff_  sound and the Forest Pokémon was nailed in the chest by the Ice Beam, sending it hurtling back down towards the ground.

"S-Sawyer's gotten better," Serena said.

"Yeah…he has. I can't wait to battle him, achoo, again," Ash said, holding his arms around himself like Brock was. Behind him, he could smell smoke, showing that one of Clemont's inventions was once again malfunctioning. The three underneath it were scrambling to get out.

"Pi, Pika…" Pikachu said contentedly, clearly comfy inside the jacket with Serena.

Down below, Sceptile was standing once again. Neither Pokémon was out of the fight yet. In fact, they almost looked to be in a standoff, yet neither trainer was willing to give the other an inch.

"Now, use Mirror Shot and then Ice Beam!" Bethany ordered. Vanilluxe shot backwards a little as it fired off its Mirror Shot. Sceptile waited for its trainer's command.

"Use Leaf Blade and knock that Mirror Shot into the Ice Beam!" Sceptile nodded and waited patiently. Just as the Mirror Shot was about to hit, Sceptile slashed with all its force, the green blade digging into the oncoming attack before pitching forward. The Mirror Shot rebounded, right through the Ice Beam until it collided heavily with Vanilluxe. "Keep it up and use Leaf Blade again!"

"Harden!" Vanilluxe once more began to shine, prepared to up its defense and survive the hit.

"Pin it with your blades!" It was a strategy that Ash himself would have used, and one that Bethany was not expecting at all. Before Vanilluxe could use another move, Sceptile had closed the distance and instead of slashing at the exposed Ice type, it trapped the Pokémon with its blades. "Dragon Pulse!"

Everyone knew that the intense battle was over. The second Sceptile opened its mouth and used the white-purple beam that was Dragon Pulse to send Vanilluxe flying, the hail ceased, and all that was left to watch was the quick descent to the ground that Vanilluxe made. It was an upset.

"I…I don't believe this…but it looks like Vanilluxe is unable to battle. Team Trainer's Sawyer and his Sceptile take the victory!" Kalas announced, his voice filled with utter awe. Ash wasn't surprised; Team Brutal had yet to lose a battle in this tournament, but even with a type advantage, Sawyer had pulled ahead. He had really come a long way. Filled with joy, Ash watched as Sawyer embraced his Sceptile, both happy over their victory.

"Great job, Sawyer!" Ash called out to his rival, giving him a thumbs up. His compliment went unheard as a different type of muttering filled the crowd. Ash moved his eyes along the arena to see what was going on to make the audience react in such a way.

Bethany was still on the field, and she had fallen to her knees in shock. Ash didn't blame her, but there was something strange about the way she was now cradling her pokeball after having called Vanilluxe back into it. As Ash continued to watch, he saw Seamus walk onto the field, his arrogant strut evident with every single step. The other trainers of Team Brutal were also there, though each was wearing a different expression: Christopher was looking down, like he didn't want to see it, Rocky was bored, and Travis was scowling. Seamus finished approaching Bethany and stood over her. She didn't look up for a moment, until she noticed that Seamus wasn't moving. There was a brief moment, somewhere in Ash's naïve mind, that he believed Seamus would offer words of encouragement.

That illusion was broken the moment Bethany started speaking.

"Don't make me do it…" she whimpered. It was such a far cry from the confidence she was displaying during battle. Next to him, Serena was taking his jacket off and Pikachu hopped away.

"You knew the rules when you joined the team," Seamus said coldly. Bethany shook her head.

"No…Seamus, don't. We're friends…have been since we were-"

"Beth, don't be a child!" Seamus roared. The entire stadium went quiet and Ash was unsure what to think, feel or do in that moment. "Who do you think taught you how to battle? Who do you think taught you how to get strong? Strong enough to be one of those stars competing in the leagues? Who do you think was going to help you make enough of a name for yourself to leave our pathetic little town?"

"I know that, Seamus, but-"

"You know the rules! Now, do it!"

What happened next sent a shockwave rippling through the audience. Bethany raised her hand with Vanilluxe's pokeball, shaking tremulously with every single movement. Every eye was rooted on her and Ash could see tears falling from the girl's eyes. Then the pokeball opened and Bethany spoke words no trainer ever thought they would hear after a tournament. The only ones who had, Ash figured, were himself, Brock and Dawn. "Vanilluxe…I release you."

"What? !" Serena gasped in shock while Bonnie eeped next to her. The rest of the crowd's reaction was just as incredulous. Ash's fists tightened; releasing a Pokémon after just one loss. It sounded almost like Paul, only he just released his own Pokémon, never forcing others to release their own. And he certainly didn't make a spectacle of it.

"Emboar," Seamus said, holding his own pokeball out, "show this weakling what it means to be a loser." Ash's eyes widened as Emboar emerged from its pokeball. The exhausted Vanilluxe didn't stand a chance. Emboar's fists and flames just began battering it, tossing it into the air and slamming it down once again. "Ha ha…this is what it means to be part of our team! We are the best, and only accept the best! You and your weakness belong on the ground!"

"Stop it!" Ash yelled, but it couldn't be heard over Seamus and Travis' laughing. He had to give credit, though; Rocky and Christopher looked ashamed. Ash couldn't stand there any longer. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika…CHUUUU!" Pikachu screamed, leaping off the stands and sending the Thunderbolt to intercept Emboar's next attack. At the same time, Ash disregarded Brock's earlier advice and leapt over the balcony of the stands. He didn't care about the length of the fall. He only cared about stopping such a brutal onslaught. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Ash ran forward as Emboar punched at Vanilluxe, undeterred by its earlier interrupted attack.

"Ash!" he heard Serena cry fearfully, just as the punch nailed Ash in the back and sent him tumbling forward. Ash rolled along, but he was able to regain enough balance to throw himself over Vanilluxe like a shield.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seamus roared angrily. The smirk was gone, replaced with a scowl that could melt faces. Ash stood, Pikachu running to his side with his cheeks sparking.

"What do you think  _you're_  doing? Pokémon aren't meant to be treated like this!"

"Of course they are," Seamus insisted. "Pokémon are tools meant to achieve a trainer's end. They don't have thoughts. They don't have feelings. They're animals."

"You're wrong!" Ash spat, his own face twisting into a nasty scowl.

"You're sick," Serena concurred. Ash looked and saw that the rest of his team was running over to join them, each ready for a fight. "Pokémon aren't tools."

"Then what else do you call these things we battle with?"

"What is your problem?" Ash screamed. His blood was boiling and at this point he no longer cared about the tournament. All he cared about was protecting a defenseless Pokémon from someone who didn't even deserve to call himself a trainer.

"Problem? I don't have a problem?" Seamus responded, the smirk returning to his face. "I'm returning battling to what its meant to be; there need to be consequences for losing, right? I look at myself as giving these tools a well-earned lesson."

"You scum…" Brock seethed. It was obvious now, just how much Seamus had gone over the edge if even Brock was speaking up. The crowd was now watching with rapt interest, a chant rising up within its ranks.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Let's go…if you have the stones for it," Seamus said, his smirk and stance indicating that he wanted to go with Ash right then and there. Ash was ready to throw down, too.

"Stop it, all of you!" snapped an authoritative voice. Ash turned his head and saw Aria approaching, her own team behind her. She wasn't the only one; practically every participating team had made their way down to the field, some more incensed than others. Heck, even Jessie was being held back by James and Meowth. Aria stepped in between the two warring groups. "This is not behavior you should be exhibiting in a public forum. If you want a battle, you do it in the arena."

"Too scared to actually fight in an outside match," Seamus taunted. Aria turned to look at him and for the first time since he had met her, Ash saw coldness in her eyes.

"I'm not a fan of fighting, and even less of senseless violence, but I'll battle when I have to," she said. All the teams stopped moving as Aria made her proclamation in an obvious attempt to diffuse the situation. "We battle it out in the arena. That's what a tournament is for, and we won't shame it by having pointless exhibition battles."

"Hmph…" Seamus scoffed, like he couldn't care less about Aria's thoughts. He started to turn away when Aria suddenly flung her index finger out at him.

"Understand this, though," she said, her voice so low that it sounded like yelling without a raised voice, "as of this moment, you and your team have made an enemy of every trainer here."

"Whatever," Seamus said, the smirk leaving his face. Finally, he turned away for good. "Let's go." Then he and the rest of Team Brutal left, Travis having to forcibly carry off Bethany by himself, but Ash's rage still remained for much longer. Up above, the scoreboard was flashing with the final totals for the day.

TEAM KETCHUM 20

TEAM BRUTAL 19

TEAM COORDINATOR 17

TEAM TRAINER 16

TEAM RESEARCH 12

TEAM PERFORMER 8

Yet, even though they were in first place, Ash couldn't help but feel like they were really in last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Whew…what an intense chapter. From the battles to that final confrontation. Why are Seamus and the rest of Team Brutal so…well…brutal? Obviously I'm not dispensing reasons like candy here, so you'll just have to wait. As for probably seeming the same as someone like Paul, let me explain: they're not even close. Paul only released his own pokemon, never others. Paul only drove his pokemon to their limits, but he never forced others to undergo public humiliation. Needless to say, the tournament is really heating up with only two days to go. Here's hoping you'll enjoy us racing towards the end of it. Also, I hope my reasoning for Ash's embarrassment with Miette last chapter made sense here, but you're the only ones who can decide that. Obviously, Miette is making a move faster as this isn't the show proper and AU, so…yeah. So, share your thoughts.
> 
> Let me know all your wonderful thoughts, as I always appreciate it. So, until next time, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	10. An Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you will all enjoy this chapter immensely. I think you might, but you guys are the only judges of that. So, without further ado, let's start Chapter 10!

Chapter 10

An Evening

Righteous anger was still coursing through Ash's veins by the time they exited the coliseum. In fact, it was so bad that Serena and Clemont had to hold Ash back from chasing after Seamus and teaching him who the cowards were. Pikachu ended up being caught by the tail as he tried to do the same exact thing, with Brock dragging him away.

"Unbelievable…" Dawn breathed. She and the rest of her team were walking alongside Team Ketchum while they exited the coliseum. Clemont had already stopped holding Ash back personally and was now using his Aipom Arm to do the job for him. "We've seen some things, but that…?"

"You mean…you've seen trainers release their Pokémon for losing a single battle before?" Serena asked. She sounded shocked, and Ash honestly couldn't blame her whatsoever. Seeing something like that was not a pretty sight.

"Yeah, but just once," Dawn admitted. "And Paul never made  _other_  trainers release their Pokémon."

"And he never beat on said Pokémon outside of their release," Brock reminded her. Dawn nodded sagely, as if remembering that fact just supported her statement. "Like I said: Team Brutal really lives up to their name."

"I'll teach them not to mess with Pokémon like that!" Ash suddenly roared out. His outburst appeared to draw a little attention from the crowd around them.

"Pikachu pika!" Pikachu screamed out with his trainer. The raven haired trainer noticed Serena rolling her eyes and she got behind him to keep pushing him toward the hotel. May suddenly joined him in step at his side.

"You're not the only one who wants a crack at them," May reminded him. Ash frowned at her, but had to accept it as the truth. Judging by the way that every trainer had been reacting in the coliseum, from Team Rocket's frantic scrabbling to Aria's cold proclamation, every single team wanted a crack at taking Team Brutal down a peg. Ash, however, was feeling something just a little deeper than that, and it caused his steps to quicken up a pace, dragging Serena along with him while Clemont just detached his invention from Ash.

"Ash, slow down…" Serena whispered in his ear, unable to get out much more than that. He hardly even heard her. From the moment they had met, Seamus had gotten on his nerves, and now he had just stepped over the line. Was it because he knew people like Paul before? Or was it just his own general demeanor? He always believed life was sacred and saw no point in hurting things needlessly. Sure, he loved Pokémon battling, but that was sport. He would never take his attacks so far as to actually  _wound_  a Pokémon to the point that it needed a doctor. Paul was the only one he'd seen ever get that close, and that may have been attributed to his own stubbornness. What Seamus had done…that was pure cruelty. "Ash, stop!"

"Huh?" Ash said, finally heeding the words of the blonde hanging on to him. He turned and saw Serena standing there with a scowl on her face. He didn't like the sight of that as it ruined her very attractive features.

"I know you're upset, Ash, but really, you separated from the group," she said, now letting go of him and placing her hands on her hips. Shame flooded through Ash and he hung his head a little, looking at Serena from under the brim of his hat to smile sheepishly. She just sighed and dropped the scowl. "It's not like I'm mad at you. Those guys were…wrong."

"Yeah, sorry. I just wasn't thinking," Ash told her. "People like them get me really angry."

"Me too, but, uh…we should really get back to the rest of the group," Serena chuckled out. Ash looked around and suddenly noticed that he actually had no idea where they were.

"Uh…I'm just a little lost." Ash's admission didn't seem to come as a surprise to Serena, because she giggled as a response. She jerked her head down a street and began leading the way.

"This is the way back to the hotel," she said and began leading him down said street. Ash followed behind her. His rage was still there, and he had a feeling it would be going all night, but a little of it was starting to quell inside of him. In order to try and distract his mind from the events of that day, he stared at Serena's back while she led him forward.

Her hair bounced as she moved and Ash found himself almost mesmerized. Pikachu appeared to notice this staring because he crawled on top of Ash's head, reminding him that his best buddy was still there. That made Ash want to slap himself. He had never thought this way before, so what was going on right now that he was suddenly focused on Serena and her  _hair_? Seriously, what was up with that? Not that he hadn't thought about her hair before. He thought it had looked cute when she originally cut it. He particularly liked that she had used the ribbon he'd given her as part of her outfit. At the time, however, it didn't mean anything to him. Now, though…it made him feel quite nice inside.

"Ta-da!" Serena said and Ash stopped his staring to notice they were at the hotel. "Ash, are you okay?"

"What? Why would you ask that?" Ash stammered out, his heart feeling like it was a battering ram on his ribcage. This was not how he wanted to feel today.

"You've been staring off into space a lot today, even before the thing with Team Brutal," Serena noted. Ash frowned at her apologetically and she suddenly nodded emphatically. "I know what might cheer you up! Why don't we…um…?"

Ash stared at her once again, watching as she couldn't get whatever words she wanted to say out. She was flushing horribly and her fingers were twisting together nervously. Ash waited for her to finish, but when it looked like she wasn't going to be able to finish, he decided to save them both from the awkwardness. "I'm just hungry. Need food. Right, Pikachu?"

"Chu…" Pikachu said. Ash wanted to glare at his partner, knowing that he was calling Ash a name that couldn't possibly be true. Serena nodded again, not speaking anymore, and she turned to head into the hotel as swiftly as she possibly could. When she was out of earshot, Ash turned towards Pikachu as best as he could.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Ash asked incredulously. "I'm not a liar. I really am hungry."

"Pikapi, Pikachu chu…"

"Fine, be that way, buddy," Ash finished. "You can find ketchup on your own tonight." Pikachu responded to that by hopping off Ash's head and on to the ground. He gave his trainer one last exasperated look and scampered off into the hotel. Ash huffed with a frown and then realized he had to follow his best friend in if he actually wanted any food. He'd barely stepped a foot inside when he felt two pairs of arms grab him and pull him over to a secluded corner of the lobby. When he was firmly seated on one of the couches there he looked up at his assailants. "Uh, Gary, Brock…what's this about?"

"You tell us, Ashy-boy," Gary snickered. Ash looked at him, genuine confusion on his face. "What were you and Serena up to?"

"We got lost…I got lost, actually," he admitted, not quite getting what Gary was implying.

"Right…'lost'," Gary said. "You sure you weren't up to anything else?"

"I don't get it. Brock, what's he talking about?" Ash asked, pointing at Gary who was quickly being consumed by his chuckles. Brock sighed and took a seat next to Ash, looking at him with every bit of seriousness. His face quickly started drawing closer and Ash was feeling creeped out. He drew his face back, not wanting to be in the radius of Brock's "creeper zone" for any longer than he already had. Brock reached out and grabbed his hands desperately. "You guys are freaking me out. Brock, please let go of my hands."

"How, Ash?" Brock said darkly, his head hanging low as he continued holding Ash's hands. The black-haired boy tried to get his hands free, but it seemed like Brock was holding them as if they were in a vice. He finally lifted his face and had tears streaming down from his eyes. "How do you travel with these girls? How do you get them all to fall for you?"

"Now we've crossed into creepy territory…" Ash muttered under his breath. Gary finished his laughing and sat himself next to Ash, throwing an arm over his shoulder.

"Serena's in love with you, Ashy-boy," Gary said plainly. For a moment, Ash didn't say anything. In fact, he was pretty sure that his brain had broken down from what Gary had said considering he wasn't even  _thinking_  anything, either.

"No, she isn't," Ash denied. Brock and Gary nearly fell off the couch.

"Holy Miltanks and Tauroses," Gary snapped. "You really are incredibly dense. Are you trying to tell me that you don't see the looks of admiration she throws at you, or the blushes? This girl could be the chairwoman of the Ash Fan Club!"

"Gary, Ash has traveled with, what is it, four other girls?" Brock said. Ash frowned; they were starting to act like he wasn't even there. "He hasn't even noticed that at least two of them had feelings for him. That's not going to change just because he's better at battling. You need a less direct approach."

"I'm hungry," Ash said, now fully uncomfortable with the conversation. He got up to go get his food, but Brock pulled him straight down. He didn't hold his hands this time or start crying. Brock just looked straight at Ash with the most stern expression he'd ever worn outside of a lecture, causing him to swallow. Maybe this  _was_  a lecture. The hunger in his stomach was starting to recede unnervingly.

"Ash, I'm only going to say this once, as someone who has experienced a fair amount of love and loss in his life," he said sternly. Ash was listening intently, not that he was given much choice. Even though he was trapped, he wanted to hear what Brock had to say. "Don't let someone like Serena get away."

"Why would I? She's my fr-"

"Ash," he repeated, making any response die in Ash's throat. "I'm not telling you to do anything, but look at her and listen to her. Don't focus so much on one thing that everything around you gets pushed aside."

Ash had heard those words before. He had heard a variation of them from Ramos, right before his gym battle…right before Serena's first performance…before that day they spent on the town. At least, that was how he remembered it. Did Serena remember it differently? Brock and Gary were walking away now, the younger of the two continuing to snicker as they departed. Ash was still lingering with his thoughts, which in and of itself was unusual for him. He preferred acting, not thinking, and while he couldn't understand Brock's words, he felt like he wanted to understand them.

 _Don't focus so much on one thing that everything around you gets pushed aside._  The only conclusion he could reach from Brock's words were that he shouldn't think only about winning his next gym battle, or the Kalos League, or this tournament. He should stop and look at everything.  _Because nothing we do is a waste of time._  That was right…He had to pay attention to more. He had to pay attention to Serena. After all, if it weren't for her, he wasn't entirely sure he would have had the will to keep training after that very first battle with Viola. She deserved attention for all she'd done for him, and as he thought about how her skin had burned his hand today, or the way her hair bounced, Ash came to a single solid conclusion.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Serena felt like a miserable wreck.

She was so close, just one inch away from asking Ash out for the evening. And it wasn't going to be something like "a day without our Pokémon" or something like that. She was going to ask him on an honest-to-goodness date, hopefully complete with dinner and some handholding, or something along those lines. Then she choked, and Ash's stomach took precedence over all else.

"What'd he do this time?" Bonnie asked perkily. She was grinning at Serena from ear to ear from her seat at the table where she and her brother were sitting. Her face was propped up in her hands as she continued to grin cheekily.

"Who did what, Bonnie?" Clemont asked. Bonnie hopped off her chair, and with strength that was very disproportionate to her size, pushed her brother over to a different table where Team Coordinator was sitting. They, and he, were immeasurably surprised.

"You're too dense for this conversation," Bonnie said, and she returned to Serena, who was now sitting.

"Bonnie, are you sure you're not like a seventeen-year-old trapped in an eight-year old's body?" she asked skeptically. Bonnie giggled madly and Dedenne, as impressionable as it was, imitated her.

"Nope, I'm just not as dense as the boys around us." She sat back again, now sipping on her soda gleefully, all the while kicking her legs back and forth. "So, what happened now?"

"Nothing," she answered. Bonnie raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing her. "I'm serious, Bonnie,  _nothing_  happened. I…couldn't get the words out."

"You keep going like that and I'll end up stealing him away from you," whispered a familiar voice, complemented with a hot breath, on her ear. Serena nearly jumped five feet into the air as she spun her chair around to see a lurking Miette. In the distance, Nini and Aria were getting some food. The honey-blonde Performer also noticed Conway lurking somewhere in the bushes, likely stalking Dawn.

"Miette…how pleasant to see you," Serena lied straight through her teeth. Miette smiled and took the seat next to her. "You performed…admirably in today's competition."

"I look forward to seeing what you can do tomorrow," Miette taunted back, the smile playing on her face for a brief moment before it dropped off. "I hope you can manage to beat them."

Bonnie pouted at those words and Serena instantly picked up on exactly what Miette meant. They were rivals until the very end, she was certain of it, but there was a sense of solidarity between her and Miette in that moment. Something there linked them beyond their mutual crush on Ash or their path to being Kalos Queen; it was a genuine love for Pokémon, and a distaste for such senseless brutality. Serena nodded, and that seemed good enough for Miette to resume their rivalry.

"So, you ended up getting tongue tied? That's a shame, Serena," Miette shrugged out.

"It was just once!" Serena snapped, surprised that she was admitting this to her fiercest foe in the quest for Ash's heart. "Besides, I'm not entirely sure Ash would have understood even if I did ask him."

"Aren't you just making excuses? He seemed to understand me this morning perfectly fine," Miette said confidently, causing Serena to fume internally. The bluenette laughed before reaching over and patting Serena on the knee. "Don't worry about it, Serena. I'm laying off of you for the rest of the week. But if you haven't asked Ash out by the dance, it looks like we'll be having a repeat of last time."

Her voice was so singsong and teasing that Serena just wanted to cringe inside and out. She didn't do that, but she didn't do much of anything else, either. Was that what Miette had mentioned to Ash before the competition that morning? Which, speaking of Ash, where was he anyway? Wasn't he hungry? Or was he just as embarrassed by her lame attempts at asking him out as she was? How she wanted to cover her face, change her name to something like Yvonne and run away to another country. But she wouldn't give Miette the satisfaction, and nor did she need to when she saw Ash enter the cafeteria and head straight for her.

"Serena, hey, can I talk to you for a moment?" Serena stopped herself from flushing to a nice shade of magenta, stopping at a red color. Miette had raised eyebrows, like she couldn't actually believe what was happening. Bonnie, meanwhile, was kicking her legs up and down as she was thrown into stitches of laughter. Serena would have shot a rather nasty look to the girl to stop her, but in front of Ash it would have been all too obvious even with how incredibly oblivious he was. Instead, she stood and pushed her chair away.

"S-sure…" she answered, walking over to join Ash. He subsequently led her to a more deserted portion of the cafeteria. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You wanna go to the festival with me tonight?"

Serena's heart stopped. She was certain that she was dead, otherwise she would be breathing. The Performer, instead, was staring straight ahead blankly. Had Ash just asked her…on a date? Without provocation from her end? She couldn't get her tongue to work properly to form an answer, and she soon noticed that Ash was waving his hand in front of her in order to elicit a reaction. After a bit more prodding, she finally managed to gargle out an answer.

"Y-yes," she squeaked. She wasn't sure if it was quite an intelligible answer, but Ash seemed to deem it good enough.

"Awesome!" he said triumphantly. He didn't look nearly as nervous as she felt. "I just…I want to thank you for everything you've done for me since we met. Especially today. If you hadn't taught me Rhyhorn Racing, I wouldn't have been able to do so well. And I'd be totally lost without you and your map. I really appreciate all of it. So, I'll see you in an hour?"

"Definitely," Serena gasped out, her blood pumping again and her mind coming back to her in fragments.

"Hey, Ash!" she suddenly heard Sawyer call as the green haired trainer came dashing towards him. "You were awesome today! I was taking notes like crazy the entire time. Let's catch up."

"Sure thing, but I can't talk too long," Ash told him, walking away from Serena. She decided that she couldn't stay here long either. Squealing just a little inside, she smiled brilliantly and left the cafeteria, ignoring the looks Bonnie and Miette were no doubt shooting her and heading straight for her room.

 _I can't believe it…it must be a dream!_  She couldn't help thinking as she entered the room. The honey-blonde dove for her bag instantly and started looking for something nice to wear; something that would fit the theme of the festival. She remembered hearing it was the Dragon Tamer's Festival, a show of history on the modern stage. Remembering that, Serena quickly grabbed some of her costumes out that she had collected on her shopping trips throughout the Kalos region.

"Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, which one should I wear?" Serena asked her Pokémon seriously. She knew that, perhaps, Ash wasn't thinking of this as a date in the sense that she was, but she wasn't letting a chance like this slip away from her when it was up for the grabbing. Braixen and Pancham immediately answered, but both chose different ones. Sylveon ended up being the tie breaker, deciding on a beautiful kimono she had purchased in Laverre City during their extended stay there. Thanking her Pokémon, Serena dashed in for a quick shower before changing into the magenta kimono and accenting it by attaching the ribbon from her usual traveling outfit on top of it.

When the hour had passed, Serena felt she looked very pretty, affirmed by her Pokémon, who she left to their own devices. Attaching a very beautiful smile to her face, Serena practically bounced on her way downstairs to where Ash was waiting. He hadn't changed his attire, though it did seem like he'd left his hat behind. For a moment, Serena felt a little silly, being so dressed up like this. That fear fell away at Ash's words.

"You look nice," he said honestly. That time, she couldn't stop the heat rising to her cheeks.

"So, uh…where did we plan on going?" she asked as Ash began leading them outside the hotel once again. With the sun sinking, the lights on the streets were beginning to glow once again, bathing them in beautiful shades of colors. Ash didn't answer right away while Serena stared at him. After a bit of time, she noticed something off. "Where's Pikachu?"

"Brock's giving him and the rest of the Pokémon a checkup," Ash admitted. "To answer you, there's apparently this big mural in the city hall on display and they're giving some kind of play put on by a theater group."

"Sounds fun!" Serena said. Ash smiled at her, causing her stomach to do a few flips, and the two set off towards the large building that was city hall. It was so large that it wasn't even hard for Ash to find. Unsurprisingly, it was packed with people, all looking at different artifact displays. Some were looking at the murals, too, which Ash ran right up to.

"Whoa…this Rayquaza looks…different…" Ash commented. Serena laughed under her breath.

"You're always so interested by Pokémon," she said to him as she walked up to his side. He was so close to her that she could practically feel his warmth radiating off of his body. It was nice.

"Of course I am," Ash answered. "There're so many different types and cool things about them, I love learning everything I can. There are a lot of things in this world to see and do. Besides, how can I call myself a Pokémon Master if I don't like meeting new Pokémon?"

"True enough," Serena responded. Her eyes scanned along the mural, drawn in by its beautiful artwork and near representation of history.

"Fascinated by the mural?" Serena turned her head at the same time as Ash to see Aston approaching with a wide smile on his face. Serena grinned right back at him while Ash looked adorably confused.

"Oh, Ash, this is Mayor Aston of Ancien City. We met on the day we first arrived here, and he's one of the commentators," Serena introduced. Ash's confusion melted into a grin and he held out his hand to shake the elderly man's hand. With introductions completed, Aston turned to the mural and began walking the length of it. The two followed him.

"This mural represents the far past of Ancien City," Aston began to explain. "Once upon a time almost three thousand years ago, there was a great war between Pokémon and people. Between Kalos and other countries."

Serena listened raptly, and it soon came to seem like Aston's voice was that of a narrator or a simple orator, passing down history. As he spoke, the pictures took on a life of their own and she seemed to fade into that same history, though she had enough presence of mind to realize that Ash had slipped her hand into his and was pulling her along.

_Once upon a time, almost three thousand years ago, there was a great war between Pokémon and people. Between Kalos and other countries. That war ripped the world apart. Some believe that is when Mega Evolution in its primal form was born. Chief amongst the calamities in the war was Rayquaza, whose mighty Mega Evolution razed the land indiscriminately, so angered it was by the disturbances of nature._

_One town that tried to appease the wrath of the great Rayquaza was Ancien Town, a town filled with the Draconid people. They worshipped the mighty dragon, in great respect for his power. Rayquaza, in its infinite graciousness, spared the quiet Draconid clan._

_However, as the war grew, so too did peace fade. One day, a great weapon was fired from the Kalos region. That day, the Draconid Clan vanished into a void. Many decades after the war, when some new people traveled to the sight that was once Ancien Town, they discovered evidence of that lost race. There, they came to a single conclusion: that the Draconid people had not died, but had been pulled into an alternate dimension, and that our two dimensions were linked by meteorites found at the site of destruction!_

_In order to honor those who had fallen, the meteorites were enshrined in a place of honor. However, when they did, those who had discovered the truth found a smaller dimension that only appeared on the night of a moonless sky underneath the Draco constellation. Inside that dimension, they claimed, the Pokémon Jirachi was seen, but was unreachable. No one could figure out how these dimensions were linked, and thus, they left it as a mystery for the ages._

Aston stopped walking as he finished his tale, and he turned towards the two youngsters with a rather solemn look on his face. Serena finished examining the wall, noticing that at the end of it was a blank spot, like it was incomplete.

"Why's the rest of the wall blank?" Ash asked. Serena noticed that his hand was still holding on to hers.

"That is for untold history," Aston told them, stroking his chin softly. "Even to this day, scientists believe that the Draconids yet exist on the other side of the dimension. There were claims that at some point, oh, about three years ago or so, the dimensions connected and something happened, but there was nothing definitive. This blank space on the mural was left there as a hopes of bringing the Draconid Clan's story to its conclusion."

"It's quite a story," Serena said. She wasn't skeptical about it, not after the things she'd seen on her journey thus far, but the story was so grand in the telling it was almost hard to believe. "Almost like a fable."

"Hey, who's this?" Ash asked, pointing to the very last picture before the mural trailed off into nothingness. Serena took a look with him to where a picture of a girl with lilac hair was standing atop a barren grassland, a group of five surrounding her. Unlike the girl, their features were indistinguishable.

"Oh, that would be Aster," Aston commented. "There were rumors, some time ago of course, that on the other side there was a great war. A girl named Aster tried to lead her people to peace, but was felled by the great strife in the land. She was said by some pioneers to be the 'guardian of the Draconids', a bulwark for all the tragedy in the world. I would have liked to have met her…if she were real."

"Wow…" Ash breathed, still wholly entranced by the mural. Aston appeared to find his fascination amusing, because he threw his head back and gave out a barking laugh.

"Well, this is all conjecture of course, and it makes for a nice story during the festival, either way," Aston chuckled out. "Speaking of, the play is due to start any time now. It's a dramatized version of the story I just told you, and I think you'll find it most enjoyable. Concessions are allowed, too."

"Sweet! Serena, I'll save us some seats!" Ash cried out. Serena lamented the loss of his hand in hers, but was still happy to see him running off like a gleeful child. While she did so, a thought came into her head.

"I have to ask, Mayor Aston, all of this history is cool, but why is the festival called the Dragon  _Tamer_  Festival?" she asked curiously. Aston looked at her and grinned a toothy grin.

"Because the Draconid Clan was a clan of dragon tamers. They could tame an army of dragons if they so chose. We honor them during the tournament because of the Draco constellation."

Serena would have asked him to expound more on the topic, but Ash was running back with a bucket of popcorn and even some cotton candy. Aston gave her another smile and a wave before she was being whisked off by Ash to the play. He had managed to reserve the perfect seats for them: right in the middle, not too high up, but not front row either. Actually, Serena was certain they weren't exactly alone, either. She was almost certain that she caught a glimpse of May, Dawn and Bonnie sneaking somewhere in the crowd (followed by a much less obvious Conway). Once the play started, she didn't care.

It certainly was a dramatic telling of the story that Aston had shared with them. It was so dramatic, it almost brought a tear to Serena's eyes, though she guessed that some of it was added or theorized upon for the purposes of being a play. Perhaps the most emotional moments were the midpoint of the play and the ending. Near the midpoint, there was a moment of hope for the Draconid Clan as a man as tall as a mountain visited them and they begged him to spare their town from the coming war. The man was so wracked with grief, he would not hear their pleas and they could do nothing but wish the great Rayquaza would rain destruction upon him and his "weapon". The biggest tearjerker, however, was the ending. The story had shifted to the great war in the other dimension and Aster's final stand. As she died in her friend's arms, she made the friend promise a road to peace would be found. At that moment, a shadow like Rayquaza passed over them and the two were consumed in light, fading into an endless story.

Serena's tears fell down her face at such a tragic ending and she tried to hide them from Ash. He just stared at the stage, his own eyes appearing to water. "Kind of reminds me of that Mirror world from Reflection Cave. I wonder how they're doing…I wonder…if they're still together like we are."

"I'm sure they are," Serena replied quietly. Then, under her breath, she muttered, "I hope we'll be together forever."

She wasn't entirely sure that Ash had heard her, but from the way he pulled her close to him with one arm, Serena figured that he just may have heard and answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: A little shorter of a chapter, but if I didn't end it here, it would have turned into a truly mammoth chapter and I didn't want that, so I ended it at what I felt was a perfect place. This was probably one of my favorite chapters to write that, other than Amourshipping, I won't divulge the reason why. As for the history that Aston was speaking of, I've realized I am an absolute sucker for alternate dimensions. I don't know why, either…Anyway, the tournament recommences in the next chapter with day four! Will Ash and the team be able to keep their lead over Team Brutal? Will they teach them not to mess with other Pokémon? How will the other trainers react? All that and more next time.
> 
> AThere was a LOT this time, and I couldn't be more grateful. You've all been extremely receptive, and I love you all for it. We're almost to the halfway point of the story and it will only pick up steam from there. I hope you'll continue along the ride with me. But, until next time, do please Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	11. An Appeal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very interested to hear your responses on this chapter, if simply because of my own opinions on it which you'll find in the Author's Note at the end. But that's the end! Let's actually BEGIN Chapter 11!

Chapter 11

An Appeal

The next morning, Serena woke up feeling fresh and excited. Ash was, as always, still snoozing in his bed with Pikachu lying on his stomach. The sight was humorous to Serena and she chose not to disturb them. When she got downstairs to the cafeteria, she saw Brock sitting casually at a table, flicking through another one of those books of his. It had a different title than the last one, so Serena figured that he had finished the first.

"Someone's in a good mood," he chuckled out upon hearing her humming as she sat down.

"I am," she chirped. "I had a lot of fun last night."

"With Ash?" Brock asked knowingly. Surprisingly, Serena wasn't even blushing at his implications.

"Yes, with Ash," she answered graciously. Out of the corner of her eye, Serena could see Miette conversing energetically with her team. It looked like they were planning some kind of strategy. "I'm more excited for today, though. It's you and me out there for the competition, right?"

"That's right," Brock confirmed. "I'm looking forward to working with you. Should be a lot of fun." Serena couldn't agree more. More than anything, she wanted to make up for her crippling loss on the first day, and she wanted to knock Team Brutal down a peg. Feeling that way wasn't hard to do, seeing as they were in the same cafeteria as them, looking just as nasty as ever. However, even from that distance, it looked like the girl, Bethany, had been crying while Christopher just patted her on the back. Seamus and Travis, meanwhile, looked angry.

The anger on their faces only increased tenfold when Ash walked into the room for some breakfast. While Serena noticed it happen, she didn't say anything, and just greeted Ash in conversation. Their team was pretty quick to join them after that and before long they were walking as a single unit to the coliseum. Naturally, Bonnie was on Serena's case the whole way there.

"Did you have fuuuun last night?" Bonnie said teasingly, just outside of Ash's earshot. He was too busy conversing with Gary and Clemont up front about something or some other.

"Yes, I did, Bonnie," Serena told her politely. It was a little obvious that Bonnie was trying to get a rise out of her. "And I would hope you knew that, since you were there, too."

"I was  _not_!" she said indignantly, though the guilt on her face was made obvious by Dedenne tsking his trainer. "Okay, fine I was. But it was May's idea."

"Sure it was…" Serena said, not believing the little girl for one second.

"I swear! She's the one who said we should follow you and give you a little push, but we lost you in the midst of the play," Bonnie confessed, shrugging her shoulders at the same time to indicate that she really didn't care that they had lost them. That changed when she faced back towards Serena with sparkling eyes, reminiscent of Ash's when Clemont broke out a new invention. "Did you guys kiss?"

"No," came the sharp and brutal response. Bonnie pouted at this piece of information. "I don't have unrealistic expectations, Bonnie. Unlike what you have for your brother."

"I'm just trying to find him someone who can take care of him," the little girl chirruped like it was the most obvious (and innocent) thing in the world. "Well, maybe you should be more direct with Ash. He's not gonna take the hint if you don't make them obvious."

To that, Serena could only sigh. She didn't formulate a response to Bonnie's observation until the two girls had climbed the stairs that led to the coliseum and crossed over its threshold. "I know that, Bonnie. I doubt Ash even considers last night the same thing that I did."

"I can help," the blonde-haired girl suggested. Serena shook her head at that thought.

"No, this is something I need to do on my own." That closed the topic off from any further discussion, especially since they were catching up to the boys inside the waiting room. By the time they had emerged outside into the stands, the crowd's roar had reached an almost deafening peak. The strangest part was that Harry hadn't even begun to make his announcements to start the day off yet and the crowd was still whipped into a frenzy. The blonde Performer guessed that it had something to do with the events of the day prior.

"Gooood morning, ladies and gentlemen," Harry called out, once everyone appeared to be settled. "It's another lovely, sunny day in Ancien City and the fourth day of our five-day competition! You all should know what that means: today is the day of the tag competition and tag battles!"

"Today should be very interesting," Sycamore commented. "I look forward to the kinds of combinations that two trainers can pull off as opposed to just one."

"Well, we did design the tournament to be dynamic as much as possible," Aston said. "Today is just a prelude of things to come for our final day. I hope everyone finds it very enjoyable."

"I think we all do…at least, I know I'm looking forward to it," Kalas confessed to the crowd. "With that said, will our competitors come on to the field. As this is a tag team competition, please keep in mind that each team must send out two trainers, and not only that but both trainers must not have participated in a competition thus far."

"Here we go," Brock said, looking at Serena with a nod.

"Good luck out there, you guys," Clemont offered to the retreating pair. Gary offered a nod in lieu of actual conversation.

"Go, Serena and Brock!" Bonnie cheered loudly.

"I know you guys'll do great!" Ash said, giving a thumbs up.

"Pika!" Pikachu concurred with his trainer. Serena briefly turned around to give her own thumbs up to Ash and Pikachu before she skipped forward to catch up with Brock and make her way onto the field. Before she stepped onto it, she made sure her ribbon was tight; she wasn't losing this time.

"Let's welcome our teams onto the field. From Team Performer we have Ariana and Portia, Team Research sends out Jessilina and Jameson, and Team Trainer has Sawyer and Trent. Team Coordinator sends out the talented May and her team member Shauna. Of course, no listing is complete without these two teams vying for first place: Bethany and Rocky for Team Brutal, while Team Ketchum sends out Brock and Serena! Give a big round of applause for all our participants in today's final competition section!"

The crowd certainly followed Kalas' advice and cheered loudly. When they subsided, Aston took the reins to address the crowd. "Looks like we've got some diverse team mix-ups out there. They should all be able to provide us with some great combos. Monsieur Pierre, I believe you helped in the design of this particular competition. Would you mind explaining to the crowd just what this is all about?"

"Of course," Pierre said, clearing his throat loudly. "Today's competition is aptly named as ze Juggle Appeal!"

"Juggle Appeal, huh? That sounds like it could mean any number of things, and I'm sure our contestants are dying to know the rules as much as our audience is," Harry admitted.

"Of course, ze premise of ze competition is simple," Pierre continued. "In ze center zere are juggling balls."  _Oh great,_ Serena thought to herself savagely,  _another competition with balls. Just my luck…_  "Ze trainers will be required to juggle zese balls for a length of time, as shown by ze team's image on ze screen. When zere time is up, zey will zen pass ze ball onto ze next team on ze screen. However, should zat team fumble ze ball at ze transition or fumble at any time before zere turn is up, zey will be eliminated."

"Sounds simple enough. What's the catch?" Sycamore asked, and Serena could see him leaning forward on his elbows to ask the question.

"Zere are two catches. One: as more rounds are cleared, more balls will be added to ze juggle. If any one of zese falls, ze team will be eliminated. Two: each team must make zere moves as flashy and attractive as possible. As ze time ends, ze team will be rated on zere moves by ze hearts on ze screen. Should a team score lower zan ze team before zem, zey will be eliminated."

"Sounds like our competitors are in for a challenge," Harry admitted. "For that matter, the trainers are allowed to use any Pokémon at their disposal in order to complete the competition. Also, a fair warning to all trainers, the timing  _is_ random, so be on your toes. Now, let's find out which team is to start us off."

Serena turned to the screen along with every other trainer and watched as the team colors were cycled through quickly. Eventually, it stopped…on their team. With that decision made, Serena straightened her hat and threw all three of her pokeballs into the air. Brock threw the same amount, calling out all but his Chansey. "Are you ready?"

"Definitely," Serena said with certainty. "I can focus on the flashy, as long as your Pokémon help pick up the juggling part."

"Oh, I'm sure that my Pokémon can do a thing or two about appeals," Brock said with a well-meaning smirk. "The most important thing, though, is not the appeals, but what comes after. If we can send trick shots at our opponents, then we can knock them out without having to worry about our score." Serena nodded.

"All right, trainers, you can begin the second that the cannon fires the juggling ball into the air," Kalas concluded. His voice faded into a muted muttering as Serena and Brock waited for the round to begin. All around them, other trainers were pulling out their own Pokémon. This was  _not_  going to be easy. Only one bated breath later and the cannon fired up in the air and in their direction.

"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind to suspend the ball in midair," Serena commanded. Sylveon did a leap, dancing as she went while the pink mist-like wind floated upward. While it didn't stop the ball's descent, it slowed it, creating an ethereal pink glow around it that was dazzling to behold. The crowd oohed and Serena felt she was off to a good start. "Braixen, support Pancham, and Pancham use Dark Pulse on Fairy Wind to send it higher."

"Brai, Braixen," her first Pokémon called out, twirling her stick around. Pancham leapt upward and onto Braixen's wand before she flung the Pokémon upward. Pancham spun through the air and sent a Dark Pulse upward. The black beam of energy struck the Fairy Wind and drove the ball higher into the air. As it collided with Fairy Wind, the mismatched colors of ebony and pink hung in the air like a fine glitter. In the midst of the eerie haze, the ball started to descend.

"Sudowoodo, use Mimic," Brock commanded. "Make it flashy, too."

"Woodo!" Sudowoodo complied. The Rock type spun and shook its arms before firing its own Dark Pulse.

"Help him out with Fire Blast, Braixen," Serena said. Braixen spun its wand around and then sent the Fire Blast upward. Next to her, Serena saw Brock raise an eyebrow, as if he had gotten an idea. Then the brilliant flames collided with Dark Pulse, adding the glowing embers to the already strange glow.

 _Bing!_  Serena turned her head at the noise and saw that their picture was flashing, fading and giving way to the image of Team Trainer's contestants.

"Sudowoodo, support Croagunk!" Brock told his Pokémon. "Croagunk, leap off of Sudowoodo's head, spin through the air and spike it towards our opponents!"

"Gunk!" Croagunk acknowledged. The Toxic Mouth Pokémon ran forward and flipped on top of his companion's head. He then did another impressive flip off, getting above the descending ball and spiking it towards Team Trainer with a Poison Jab that left a purple mark upon the ball itself. Sawyer's Sceptile was the first into the mix, firing a Bullet Seed to keep it afloat. Serena, however, had already returned her attention to screen where their appeal rating was going up.

"Ten hearts for the first performance…Not bad…" Brock said, nodding his head just a little.

"You looked like you had an idea," Serena said. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sceptile and Sawk get into a rather manly pose off as they juggled the ball. The chime sounded out shortly after and the two did a strange double-fisted approach to knock it towards Jessie and James.

"Wobbuffet, Counter!" Jessie sang out.

"Wobbuffet!" the blue Pokémon called out, waddling into position underneath the ball. It collided with the Pokémon, who glowed with a bright light before expelling the energy outward and sending the ball sky high. It looked like Team Trainer had scored eleven hearts, just a single point above them. According to Kalas in the commentators' box, it was for their very "manly exhibition". Serena was more focused on what Brock was thinking about.

"I had two ideas, actually," Brock admitted. "First, your Sylveon, along with your other Pokémon, is incredibly skilled at dancing, right?"

"Of course," Serena told him bluntly. "I'm a Performer, and dancing is sort of my theme."

"Yeah, I could tell from your battle with Conway," Brock admitted. He turned to look and motion at his Ludicolo, who appeared to be keeping its footwork light and fancy. "My Ludicolo is no slouch in the dancing department, either. I have a feeling that he and your Pokémon will make great appeals if they can coordinate their dancing efforts."

"And your second idea?" Serena asked. On another part of the field, the performance of Wobbuffet's countering moves and Meowth's Fury Swipes was coming to a close when the cat spun with the ball in midair and chucked it at Aria and her current team member.

"Delphox, Mystical Fire!" Aria commanded gracefully. As was expected of the lovely Kalos Queen, her Delphox performed magnificently, sending a beautiful blaze of fire from its mouth that looked almost golden.

"Weavile, use Blizzard!" her companion ordered. Serena would have watched the Ice-type attack and the Fire-type attack colliding, but Brock was explaining the next part of his strategy.

"Fire creates heat, obviously, and heat rises," Brock explained. "So, simply put, we put that heat to our advantage and use it to keep the ball in the air for longer. Sylveon, Pancham and my Croagunk are lighter weight and Sudowoodo can use mimic. Sudowoodo can assist Braixen and Ludicolo who can dance on the ground and send Water Gun to raise our lighter weight Pokémon up to dance through the air and knock the ball around. It'll help whenever more are introduced to the mix."

"Sounds perfect," Serena said triumphantly. Meanwhile, the competition had shifted focus to Team Brutal. Somehow, Serena wasn't surprised to see that Rocky was using a Probopass.  _Naturally, he'd use a Rock type_ , she thought to herself sarcastically. Bethany, however, had obviously switched out her Vanilluxe for a Cacturne, since Vailluxe was long gone from her possession. Their allotted time was short and the juggle soon passed on to Team Coordinator. Blaziken leapt high into the air and kicked the ball upward while Ivysaur's vines then spread upward to knock the ball back and forth between themselves.

Not a single team had been knocked out during the first round, with each being able to set a standard above what the team before them had provided. Serena knew she should have been paying attention to what each of the teams had been doing, but she hoped that they had better spent their time by putting together a strategy for their next performance or appeal…whatever it was. The chime sounded again and Serena watched as May's Blaziken once more bounded into the air, it's foot was wreathed in a powerful raging flame as it kicked the ball at their team. The ball practically lit on fire.

"I've got this one. Ludicolo, use Water Gun!" Ludicolo danced forward, twirling around and shaking while it aimed its Water Gun upward. It then danced backward while the fountain of water created a rainbow around the ball that it was carrying over to its team. In the midst of the Water Gun, the spinning, flaming ball slowed in its rotations and the fire dispersed. Another cannon fired and a new juggling ball came hurtling toward them.

"Braixen, use Fire Blast!" Serena called out.

"And Sudowoodo, use Mimic!" Brock ordered. Both trainers threw their hands out at the commands as the two Pokémon stood side by side to send their Fire Blasts in a spinning arc skyward. The two jets of flame connected and began to twirl like whirling gears. "Up in the air, guys!"

Croagunk and Pancham were the first to move, which Serena found a little surprising considering Croagunk's usual apathetic state. Pancham danced, twirling through the flames like he did in performances. Using an uncalled Arm Thrust, Pancham smacked the ball overhead, which Croagunk followed up with a Poison Sting, the little purple projectiles altering the ball's trajectory a little. By the other ball, Sylveon used Swift on the ball that Ludicolo had stopped holding in midair. The stars collided in a glitter of light with the ball, and with the fire that was glowing red and gold, it was like a celestial sky on fire, illuminated by the morning rays of sun.

 _Bing!_  With the chime that commanded a switch, Pancham and Croagunk nodded at one another, and on their trainers' orders, used a Brick Break and a Dark Pulse to send the balls flying once more towards Sawyer and Trent. Their appeal score came up immediately afterward, granting them a whopping thirty-five hearts, almost double what May and Shauna had scored in the turn before.

With more balls involved in the juggling process, Sawyer and Trent were forced to use more than the two Pokémon they had relied on before. Sawyer's Shelgon joined the battle and took on a very odd role: he became a juggling ball himself in all but name. Sawk had picked up Shelgon and tossed the Dragon type upward. When Shelgon became even with the balls, it used a Dragon Breath that blew the ball over to Sceptile, who then used his Leaf Blade to juggle the balls on his own. It was an interesting approach to an appeal; it lacked the grace that most Performers would use in their freestyle, but it held its own charm. To the average spectator, it looked like the Pokémon were playing an odd game of volleyball, but with Shelgon acting as a middle man, rather than the net.

The chime went off again, after what felt like an eternity of waiting and this time Sawk used a Bulk Up before striking upward and over its back towards Jessie and James.

"Okay, Inkay, use Foul Play!" James said. Serena nearly blanched at the rhyming…and she thought that was bad on a week to week basis. Inkay's arms extended and grabbed the ball. On the appeals screen, Team Trainer's score was given as a thirty-six, barely above their own.

"We need to get them out of the competition," Brock said simply. "It may sound mean, but we need to outdo our performance even more than last time."

"You think we can do that so easily?" Serena asked out of the corner of her mouth. Inkay had now tossed the two balls with alarming precision to Gourgeist, whose Seed Bomb sent them scattering. Wobbuffet hopped over and reflected with Counter one of the juggling balls. Inkay quickly floated above the blue Pokémon and sent it scattering down with either a Tackle or a Psybeam. The two were in near perfect sync. The opposite proved true of Gourgeist and Meowth. While Gourgeist had set up a rather macabre presentation by scattering Shadow Balls and then making them explode into a haunting haze of blackness with Dark Pulse, Meowth leapt upward to grab the ball and chuck it over towards Wobbuffet.

He clearly overestimated how far he could jump, because he was very near the ground when he let go of the ball. The ball ended up slipping from his hands. All of Team Rocket's Pokémon dove for it in a desperate and comical attempt to stop the ball from hitting the ground. They were successful…to an extent. The four practically dogpiled each other, with Meowth on the bottom, sending the juggling balls skyward once more. It was a shame they couldn't get up fast enough and both hit the ground with a very loud and echoing thud.

"Ouch! Looks like Team Research is out of the running for this round, and they'll receive no points. The 'serve' goes to Team Performer's Ariana and Portia."

"What do you think you were doing, Meowth?" Jessie screamed, grabbing her feline companion from underneath the other Pokémon, all of whom looked at their friend with equal exasperation.

"Your clumsy footwork cost us the match," James chided.

"Oh, give me a break. You two bozos were barely keeping us in da match from da start," Meowth said with a shrug. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn'ta made it tru da first round."

"Say that again to my face," Jessie roared.

"I did say it to ya face," Meowth countered. "It musta not heard me 'cause it's so ugly."

"Meowth, I wouldn't say that to an angry Jessie…I mean, Jessilina," James corrected. Meowth finally realized just what he was saying and he gulped upon looking at a near flaming-in-rage Jessie. He chuckled nervously, and Team Rocket pounced upon their third member. Some people in the audience laughed, but most of the attention was on the appeal taking place, having already now shifted back to Team Brutal once again. The serve didn't last long as the chime soon sounded.

"Flash Cannon, Probopass," Rocky ordered. Probopass spun around and fired off a luminescent Flash Cannon that appeared to consume both of the juggling balls at once. At the same moment. Cacturne disappeared, leaving Serena with wide eyes.

"Feint Attack," Brock commented distastefully. "May and Shauna better look out, because Team Brutal might just take them by surprise. It looks like they prefer to go for the strong and sneaky look to their appeals rather than flashy. It's a strategy, but not one that most trainers would prefer."

Sure enough, Brock's words proved accurate as Cacturne happened to appear right in front of Blaziken as it used its Feint Attack to hit the ball towards it. May had no time to react, despite what Serena assumed were her great instincts as a trainer. Blaziken attempted a Sky Uppercut on its own, but both of the juggling balls hit it: one in the head and one in the stomach, but both falling to the floor.

"Team Coordinator is out! The serve goes to Team Ketchum!" Both of the balls rolled across the field to Brock and Serena who picked them up gingerly. May and Shauna had recalled their Pokémon and were moving to the sides of the stadium. They were taking their loss a lot better than the still quarreling Team Rocket. Serena took a brief look to see that Team Brutal had been given an appeal score of fifty.

"Let's do this, Serena," Brock said, holding a free hand out. Serena nodded with a determined expression and shook it. They then threw the juggling balls into the air once more. "Ludicolo, Water Gun on Croagunk. Sudowoodo, Mimic that on Pancham!"

"Ludicolo!" the Grass and Water type announced while it danced around, propelling the two smaller Pokémon into the air alongside Sudowoodo.

"Sylveon, use Double Team and then Fairy Wind! Pancham, use Stone Edge and Braixen, use it as a stage for you to use Fire Blast and spin!" Serena was starting to feel exhilarated. All of the tension and stress from her very first battle in the tournament was melting away and she felt no shame. She and Brock and their Pokémon were dancing together on this stage, no else watching them. This was a Pokémon Showcase, a performance, and she was in her element.

Sylveon's doubles suddenly populated the air as Fairy Wind spiraled outward like a pink ribbon that attached itself to the juggling balls and held them aloft. As Pancham and Croagunk struck one of the balls together, stones emerged from the ground as though they were steps. One by one, Braixen began to dance up them, twirling around. From her wand issued forth a stream of fire that spun and lit up the coliseum's sky. Then Serena heard something from the crowd, something that made her smile blossom and gave life to the screaming crowd.

"Go, Serena! Show them your dream to be a Kalos Queen!" It was Ash; there was no doubt in her mind. The chime sounded once more and Serena was filled with more resolution than ever before.

"Sylveon, use Swift to bring them towards Team Trainer!" The multiple forms of Sylveon still in the air, the Fairy type whipped its stars outward in a shining arc, evocative of shooting stars. They were so numerous that it was like a barrage of celestial beings hammering on those orbs in midair. Serena didn't need to look to see the juggling balls go soaring over. She did look at the screen to see their score: a whopping seventy-six. Her breath exhaled in relief, even if they weren't done yet.

"You were really good, Serena. You'd make a heck of a Coordinator if you wanted to," Brock complimented her. Serena smiled at him, though she wouldn't admit the truth that it was Ash's words which helped her make that final push. Suddenly, the chime was sounding and Serena looked at the appeals board. Team Trainer had scored a fifty-four.

"A valiant effort," Monsieur Pierre related to the crowd, "but ultimately an underwhelming performance. Better luck in ze battle arena, Team Trainer."

The performance had passed to Team Performer, but Serena was hardly worried about them by now. Unlike all of the other competitions, there was only a very small window in which they had to worry about their other competitors. After that, the focus was on their own performance. That was the kind of thing that Serena reveled in, but it also meant she could go into a slight daze during the other performances. She did pay attention to Aria's performance, though, her Delphox and Aromatisse providing a perfect balance to Vaporeon and Weavile in grace and beauty. In particular, the glittering steam created by the intersection of Hydro Pump and Mystical Fire, enhanced by Charge Beam to give a static electricity that hung in the air, was almost impossible to top.

Team Brutal did top it, but only by a single point, edging them into the eighties in terms of their appeal score. What really seemed to seal the judges on the matter was the way they alternated their attacks in a near perfect rhythm. Tierno was likely watching them avidly, even if he and the other trainers hated their deplorable methods. The chime was once again quick and with rhythmic precision, Probopass and Cacturne used a dual Solarbeam and Flash Cannon which twisted together. They were barely distinguishable from each other but for the shine glinting off of Solarbeam.

Timing played a cruel trick on Serena and Brock, though. Just as they were able to get their two juggling balls under control, the cannon fired again and a third was added to the mix.

"Ludicolo, Bullet Seed, quick!" Brock ordered. The quick order was obeyed, Ludicolo firing a Bullet Seed to intercept the third ball. Right after it did so, it tried to go back to using its Water Gun on Pancham, but the Playful Pokémon's trajectory faltered, and it missed its Arm Thrust on one of the other balls. With a loud thud, it collided with the ground and signified the end of Team Ketchum's performance in the competition.

Brock didn't say anything to her for a moment, but after all three had fallen to the ground, he lightly kicked them over to Aria. Serena looked to the Kalos Queen and was surprised at what she saw on her face: it wasn't disappointment, but a smile, a proud one. Somehow, Serena felt like she may as well have won the whole competition. She had been acknowledged by the Kalos Queen herself and her chest was fit to burst with happiness. Aria once more began her performance with Portia.

That performance was one that could not be described in words. It was so graceful and fluid, it was as though Aria and her Pokémon had become fire itself; they blazed through the air, sparked the very matter around them. Her choreography with Portia made them meld into water or chill like ice. Aria, in that moment, was truly the personification of a Kalos Queen, to the point that Serena could not take her eyes away and there was no danger of dropping the ball even once. Their team's effort showed with a perfect score of one hundred.

Everyone in the audience knew that Team Brutal could not compare, not with their brute force method. Indeed, Bethany did not even try, leaving Rocky and his Probopass to juggle the ball on his own. He tried calling out his Rhyperior, but it led to such a rote performance that when the chime came quickly they ended with a measly score of fifty-seven. Maybe it was because Bethany was still sore from what happened yesterday? Or maybe she simply didn't care? Either way, Team Performer was declared the undisputed winner of the competition, earning the crowd's roaring approval. Serena looked to the scoreboard.

TEAM KETCHUM 23

TEAM BRUTAL 23

TEAM COORDINATOR 18

TEAM TRAINER 18

TEAM PERFORMER 13

TEAM RESEARCH 12

"So, we're tied…" Brock commented. Serena wasn't all that surprised, and she figured it was better than Team Brutal actually being ahead of them. "Well, if it hadn't been for that slipup, we may have been ahead."

"We couldn't have predicted that third ball coming in at that moment," Serena said while all of the trainers were making their way off the field for lunch. "Besides, who knows what the tag battles will hold. I mean, I'm sure Ash and Clemont will win."

"For sure," Brock said with a smile. Serena grinned back. Despite a lack of words exchanged between them, Serena felt like she had just become extremely close with Brock. He must have felt the same way, because before they entered the waiting room, he stopped her. "Serena, you're a great trainer, so don't ever doubt yourself. And…don't doubt your feelings for Ash, either. He may be as dense as a block of steel, but he cares for you. I can tell."

"How can you tell?" Serena asked. Brock looked off wistfully at the wall for a brief second before answering her with a sad smile on his face. In that brief moment before he did answer, she saw all the numerous rejections he'd faced, and maybe some that weren't even rejections. Most of all, she saw wisdom and experience.

"Because of the way he held on to you after you lost," he answered simply. "Because he refused to go to the festival that first night. Because he gave you his jacket twice and held your hands. Because he took you out to thank you for giving him encouragement and teaching him how to ride a Rhyhorn. Honestly, I'm jealous of him that he was lucky enough to find you."

"You're wrong," Serena said. She was looking at her feet at Brock's kind words, but she had to disagree with his last statement. When she looked up, contentment passed over her face. "I was lucky to find him."

"I guess so," Brock concluded. With their conversation finished, the two headed into the waiting room where lunch and their entire team was. Ash briefly asked what took them so long and Brock coyly replied with, "It's a secret."

"That's not fair. You'll tell me, right Serena?" Ash asked. Serena let out a giggle, pursed her lips, and placed a finger to them, indicating that she wasn't saying a word. On one of the beds, Bonnie was rolling with laughter. No doubt she guessed just what had taken them so long, or at least what the subject was.

When the team felt that they and their Pokémon were fed and rested, and the bell signaling the afternoon's tag battles was ringing, Team Ketchum packed up and went back to the stands. Crowd anticipation was reaching a peak. Serena could only guess that it was because today's battles were actually quite different as two-man battles. When the teams had all emerged from their waiting rooms and the commentators had finished their own lunches, the events proceeded exactly as they had the last four days.

"Well, folks, we've had some exciting events over the last few days, and now it's time for the most exciting one yet: the tag battles!" Harry screamed to the crowd, provoking much the same reaction. "We'll be doing something a little different today. Since we know just who will be battling for their teams, we'll announce the team matchups as each team has completed their battle. So, without further ado…"

The words on the screen swirled around, looking a little different than the three days prior, until it settled on a couple statements in bold capital letters.

TEAM COORDINATOR vs. TEAM PERFORMER

TIERNO, TREVOR vs. MIETTE, ALICE

"Hey, this seems like an interesting match," Ash commented.

"Indeed," Clemont observed from next to Ash, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "This is a true battle of trainer against Performer."

"Hey, Tierno's kind of like a Performer in his own way with all his dancing," Ash pointed out to his spectacled companion. Clemont nodded sagely, as though Ash's reminder was wise. Serena hung back to watch them walk, preferring to sit on the stands this time after going through the competition. She could see and hear the battle easily enough on the screen anyway. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of the four trainers making their way to the field. "Hey, do your best Tierno and Trevor!"

"Yeah!" Tierno cried back, the screen showing a close up of him giving a thumbs up. "Me and Trevs will dance our way to victory."

"Let's just get the battle started first," Trevor said demurely. The two boys stopped walking as the girls from Team Performer approached them in the center of the battlefield. Alice shook Trevor's hand while Miette shook Tierno's.

"Don't think the battle will be that easy," Miette responded while continuing to grip Tierno's hand. "We still have a score to settle from yesterday."

"Bring it on, uh…what was your name?"

"Miette," the bluenette reminded him. They released each other and the two teams made their way to their respective sides of the battlefield.

"As you're well aware, this is a tag battle," Kalas began to explain to both the battlers and the crowd. "This means that two trainers from each team will be participating. Each trainer will be allowed to use one Pokémon each and the battle is only over when both Pokémon from a single team have been defeated. You will have thirty minutes in which to do so. If each side has a Pokémon standing by the end of those thirty minutes, or if both teams are knocked out at once, the match will be considered a draw. If you're ready trainers, it's time to begin at the bell!"

Serena's eyes were glued to the screen, watching the body language of the trainers on the field. None of them suggested any real peril in their upcoming battle, or even a strong desire to win. It was written all over their face that they were just in this to have fun. The bell rang out clearly and all four trainers called their Pokémon to the field. Unsurprising for Trevor and Miette was that they had called Charmeleon and Slurpuff respectively. Meanwhile, Alice had called a Gothitelle (which was surprising since she had used Dragonair just two days ago) and Tierno had called out Raichu.

"Let's start this off dancin'," Tierno said with a little spin to his steps. Raichu was mimicking him, proving itself light on its feet. "Thunderbolt!" Raichu continued its little jig and landed with one of its feet a little forward. At the same exact moment, Raichu let out a bolt of lightning which seared across the battlefield quickly. Serena wasn't quite sure it was as powerful as Pikachu's, but from the way the field around it looked slightly rippled, she felt it must have been strong enough.

"Slurpuff, use Cotton Spore and block it," Miette said, tossing her hand forward, so like a Performer ready to dance with her Pokémon. Slurpuff's tongue lolled out of its mouth as it opened it and the stream of Cotton Spores flew from it. The attack looked like a fluffy white cloud, or a pillow that was threatening to engulf and smother Raichu.

"Fire Spin!" Trevor ordered. Charmeleon dashed forward, opening its gaping maw to let out a rotating pillar of flame. The flame spun out in a ribbon-like spiral, impacting with the cotton and burning it away, leaving a direct line of attack to Slurpuff.

"Gothitelle, Future Sight," Alice commanded chillingly from the other side of the battlefield. Gothitelle's body glowed a strange color. Above it opened wormholes of equal pitch darkness to the Astral Body Pokémon's color itself. Into that same darkness disappeared what looked to be electrified balls of energy.

"We can't let her do that! Step it up and feel the beat, Raichu, use Thunder Wave!" Tierno ordered. Raichu started spinning and dancing, as was the norm of any Pokémon on Tierno's team as it made its way quickly across the battlefield. It's tail then shot forward, charged with electricity. Having just used Future Sight, Gothitelle was just coming off from use of the attack as Raichu reached Gothitelle and wrapped its tail around the Astral Body Pokémon. A charge ran up Raichu's tail and shocked itself through a suddenly shuddering Gothitelle. "Now come on, Charge Beam!"

"Energy Ball! Get Raichu away from Gothitelle!" Miette commanded. Slurpuff whipped around and fired off a green, pearlescent Energy Ball. Raichu quickly attempted to detach its tail but the Energy Ball hit it, knocking it away from Gothitelle.

"Dance it off! Trevs, make your move!" Tierno said. Raichu recovered, landing on a pivot foot to find its balance. It then summoned a crackling orb of electricity in front of its mouth before a beam shot off from it towards Gothitelle. The attack impacted the paralyzed Pokémon, who was unable to move and took the hit.

"Got it. Charmeleon, use Flame Burst!" Charmeleon set off on a run towards Slurpuff, opening its mouth to form a red-orange orb, almost similar to Raichu's previous attack. With a great breath, Charmeleon then sent the orb straight towards Slurpuff. Due to its distraction in helping Gothitelle, the Flame Burst practically ignited Slurpuff. At the same time, the fading embers of the attack shot off towards Gothitelle, striking the still struggling Pokémon without the slightest chance to dodge.

"Wow, they're doing great out there!" Ash cheered. Serena knew that perhaps she should have felt ashamed, but she was really glad that Ash was rooting for Tierno and Trevor and not Miette. Not that Miette was any slouch, but she and the girl Alice hardly looked to be working together very well.

"Let's use Focus Blast!" Tierno said. Raichu had now regained its balance and summoned its turquoise orb between the palm of its hands. Just as it was about to send the orb flying towards Slurpuff, Gothitelle finally seemed to have enough presence to move again.

"Grass Knot, Gothitelle," Alice ordered. Serena shifted forward in her seat a little; she hadn't seen much from this trainer on day two and at this point it hardly looked like she cared to even be working on a team. From the dusty field emerged two thick blades of grass. The boys' Pokémon didn't even know what hit them as they were making their moves. The grass tied itself into knot around both Charmeleon and Raichu's tails, pulling them back onto the ground. Raichu misfired its Focus Blast and instead of hitting its intended target, it fell on a different path into Charmeleon. The explosion of dust covered the two Pokémon.

Seconds later, the wormholes opened up above them and Serena knew just what was to happen. She had seen it enough times in Ash's battle at the Anistar Gym to know what was going to come out of those holes. Sure enough, from the wormholes rained crackling electricity of psychic energy that exploded upon the tripped up Pokémon. It faded right into the dust already on the field, and for a moment, Serena felt like the advantage of the battle had totally shifted. When the dust cleared, Raichu and Charmeleon were standing back up, looking a little bruised but otherwise ready for battle. Charmeleon looked a little worse off, however.

"Trevs, we can't let them get that Future Sight off again," Tierno said. "So, we'll keep the pressure on both of them! I've got Gothitelle."

"Got it. Provide cover for me, Tierno!"

"Totally. Raichu, widespread Thunderbolt!" Raichu hunkered down for a moment, like it was storing the electricity it needed in its cheeks. It then spread its arms wide and a blast of lightning exploded, ripping across the field in every which direction it could. For a moment, it looked more like a Discharge than a Thunderbolt, until Serena saw Raichu was doing its usual dancing around within a small radius, causing the Thunderbolt's range to seem wider than it was. The attack didn't hit either of the opposing Pokémon, but it didn't let them get close.

"Fire Fang!" Charmeleon was dashing through Raichu's lightning like an expert; it was either complete instinct or a training that no doubt came from the long time Trevor and Tierno had been friends. Slurpuff didn't see it coming when Charmeleon zipped out of the lightning and sunk its flaming fangs into its fluffy surface.

"Get Charmeleon off with Psychic, Slurpuff!"

"Slurpuff…" Slurpuff replied, its eyes glowing blue. That same blue surrounded Charmeleon and lifted it into the air, tossing it straight towards Gothitelle. With Raichu otherwise occupied, Gothitelle turned to assist in the attack.

"Shadow Ball." Gothitelle held its hands in front of itself and fired off the inky black orb of darkness. Charmeleon took a direct hit from the attack, dropping to the floor far too quickly once the attack had finished. Serena watched the screen intently and found that Trevor wasn't too worried.

"Charge Beam, Raichu!" Tierno said. Raichu flipped forward, the ball of pulsing electricity at its mouth. The second it landed, that same ball turned into a beam of pure lightning that pierced Gothitelle. Despite their announcement of taking both Pokémon on at once, Charmeleon's move had been the simple distraction: they were looking to take out Gothitelle.

"Future Sight, once more." The crowd gasped. For all of Tierno and Trevor's attempts, they weren't able to take Gothitelle out before Future Sight was used again. For just a brief moment, Serena looked at Ash, who was watching the battle with a stern look on his face. Maybe it was worry, but she couldn't be sure; after all, Tierno had admitted to losing badly at the Anistar Gym.

"Hey Trevs, quick huddle," Tierno said. The smaller trainer shifted over to his friend, who had to lean down just a little to whisper a strategy in his ear. Serena debated standing to see just what kind of strategy was about to unfold. While they were conversing for that brief moment, Serena's eyes slid over to the timer. To her surprise, half of the battle's duration had already passed. "You got it?"

"Definitely," Trevor said. "Charmeleon, ready to go again?"

"Char…" Charmeleon grunted out, bringing itself shakily to its feet. It quickly gave its trainer a thumbs up and Team Coordinator was back in action once again.

"Great, back-to-back with Raichu." Charmeleon scampered over, and the Flame Pokémon and the Mouse Pokémon stood as their trainers had commanded. Miette and Alice appeared skeptical about their opponents' next moves since they hadn't made any of their own yet.

"Get ready to dance, Raichu!"

"Rai rai!" the Mouse Pokémon agreed. For a split second, it looked like all of the Pokémon were in a standoff, each waiting for the others to move. Charmeleon went first.

"Fire Spin on Gothitelle!"

"Ride it with a Focus Blast, Raichu!" Tierno said. Charmeleon opened its maw and another Fire Spin went spiraling out, aiming right at the Astral Body Pokémon. As soon as it was up and blazing forward, Raichu used its tail to time the rotation of the spins and help it to leap right into the flames, spinning as it did. From the brief gaps in the flames, Serena could see Raichu summoning its turquoise orb of energy.

"Slurpuff, Energy Ball on Raichu!"

"Too late!" Gothitelle attempted to move but suddenly stopped moving, sparks of electricity traveling around its body. The paralysis taking effect, Gothitelle drooped down just a little as the Fire Spin consumed its body. At the same moment, Raichu fired off its orb which impacted straight into Gothitelle's chest. The move itself wasn't all that effective, but the opposite force of Raichu's attack pushed it backwards enough to avoid Energy Ball. The flames began to recede around Gothitelle, but there was one flame that wasn't going out.

"Dragon Claw!" yelled Trevor's voice. From within the dying embers that surrounded the Psychic type, Charmeleon's flame stuck out like a sore thumb. Its claws grew longer, glowing a sickly green as it rushed at Gothitelle and slashed straight through with a mighty uppercut. Gothitelle hung in midair, and then fell to the ground, defeated.

"Cotton Spore!" Miette ordered once again. Charmeleon had no time to bask in the glory of its victory in battle. Slurpuff fired the cottony balls of fluff in an advancing wall that looked like it might smother Charmeleon to death if it were to reach it. Unfortunately for the Flame Pokémon, Cotton Spore was quite a bit faster this time and Charmeleon got wrapped up in it. That proved to be the worst time for it to happen as the wormholes opened up above Charmeleon, Future Sight finally activating.

"No, Charmeleon!" Trevor cried out in vain. When the smoke from Future Sight's explosion faded, Charmeleon was taken out of the battle as well, right next to Gothitelle.

"Looks like it's up to you and me, Raichu," Tierno said, shaking back and forth as though he was about to begin a new dance. "So let's halt their movement and use Thunder Wave."

"Quick, Slurpuff! Use Psychic to stop that attack from hitting!" Slurpuff turned with its glowing blue eyes. Raichu was a bit faster than expected and had danced forward before leaping into the air. Psychic took effect just before the charged tail was about to make contact.

The two hung there for a while, and Serena could see there was barely an inch of space between the two. If Slurpuff just moved in the slightest, it would be paralyzed. That meant it couldn't throw Raichu with Psychic as the risk was too high, and Raichu couldn't attack either. It was starting to look like a stalemate between the two trainers. With the timer well under five minutes at this point, though, both trainers realized they couldn't let the stalemate last.

"Charge Beam to get yourself moving!" Tierno ordered.

"Turn your Psychic into Energy Ball!" Miette countered. Both Pokémon acted immediately. Raichu's blast of its electrical beam shot it downward as Psychic faded, also allowing it to miss getting hit by Energy Ball. Once Raichu was back on the ground, it put some distance between itself and Slurpuff. "Now, Energy Ball one more time, and make it a strong one! Take Raichu out in one shot!"

"You, too, Raichu! Use Focus Blast!"

"Puff Slurpuff!"

"Rai rai chu!" Raichu called the turquoise orb to its hands once more and rushed forward while Slurpuff opened its mouth wide, prepared to send its Energy Ball at its foe.

Then the bell rang.

"That's it folks. This tag battle ends in a draw. Both teams will now earn three points," Kalas announced. Ash leaned back, letting out a held breath.

"Man, it's too bad they didn't win."

"A tie's pretty good, though, right?" Serena reminded him. Tierno looked pleased in any event, complimenting Raichu on its fancy footwork. Miette also appeared to be relatively pleased with the result, shaking Tierno's hand one more time as the two opposing teams left the field. The screens went blank in order to present the next team matchup. After a few seconds, it appeared on the screen.

TEAM RESEARCH vs. TEAM TRAINER

KENNETH, EDWIN vs. JAEL, KAEL

Serena's eyes narrowed and the whole crowd was thrown into a whispering mess. The writing was there as plain as could be, even if it hadn't been announced yet. The spectators were not gossiping about this next battle, but about the obvious one after.

Team Ketchum was going to be facing Team Brutal.

Ash and Clemont would face Seamus and Travis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I feel like the competition wasn't all that it could have been. I tried, I really did, but I just don't have it in me to describe a Performer's mind or their movesets (or a Coordinator's). My setup seemed really great at the time, but my execution wasn't exactly flawless. Still, I have to wonder what all of you think, and what you thought of our first tag battle. The two next time promise to be particularly exciting!
> 
> We're almost halfway to the finish line, so stick with me. Until next time, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	12. A Combination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you expressed some very violent thoughts last chapter! I was surprised…well, hopefully this will kind of sate those violent thoughts. It's time for Chapter 12!

Chapter 12

A Combination

"Let's start our second battle of the day, Team Research against Team Trainer: brains against brawn as it were," Harry said, letting off a little laugh at the sight of the trainers approaching the battlefield. Like the previous battle, Serena was focusing her sight on the screen rather than the trainers themselves, watching as they shook hands just like the previous combatants. Kalas started re-explaining the rules while the cameras did a pan of each of the trainers' faces. Next to her, Gary sat down and crossed his legs, like he wasn't as interested in this fight either, but still wanted to watch.

The bell rang loudly and all four trainers were off. To no one's surprise (or so Serena figured) Jael and Kael called out two fighting types: the Breloom that Jael had used on the second day, and a Throh. It was, likewise, not a surprise when Kenneth called out a Magnezone and Edwin sent out his Sigilyph. It really was a match of brains against brawn, only Serena really couldn't tell who the clear winner was going to be.

"Sigilyph, let's put our type advantage to work. Air Cutter," Edwin announced, tapping the bridge of his glasses. Sigilyph soared upwards, its wings glowing white. Then it blasted its wings downward like it was expelling a powerful gust. From those white wings soared arcs of air, almost blue in color and crescent shaped, aiming straight for both of the opposing Pokémon.

"Throh, take the hit," Kael commanded. Throh seemed slower than the other Pokémon on the field, but it was so big that the Judo Pokémon was able to cover both itself and Breloom as the attack bombarded its front. "Now, Payback!"

Throh's body glowed purple and energy began to swirl around it, coalescing into a beam that fired off towards Sigilyph. Height made no difference, as Sigilyph tried to ascend, but was struck by the Dark type attack anyway. Then Throh was also struck by Magnezone. Serena blinked at the powerfully spinning Gyro Ball attack, as no command appeared to have been given. She scooted forward on her seat to see just how Kenneth had done so when Breloom dashed over Throh's head to land a Mach Punch at rapid speed on Magnezone. Serena finally noticed that Kenneth appeared to be holding a small device in his hand.

"He's sending electromagnetic signals to Magnezone in order to command his attacks," Clemont explained to the group at large, being the only one versed enough in that world to do so. "It makes him unpredictable."

"Quick, Sigilyph, and use Steel Wing!" Sigilyph descended once again, its wings now glowing a steel-like color as it aimed for Throh once more.

"Intercept it with Superpower, Throh! Hurry!" Kael commanded. Throh suddenly bulked up, its muscles bulging through its clothing as a pale blue glow surrounded its figure. Sigilyph apparently didn't need its trainer's orders to know what to do, it veered off course just slightly right before impacting with Throh. The Judo Pokémon lunged forward but missed due to the change in direction and was knocked to the side by the Steel Wing.

"Now, Psybeam!" Sigilyph made a sharp, quick turn to ascend once again and faced its opponent. From the eye on top of its head, Sigilyph fired a multi-colored Psybeam, so similar to the one that Serena had seen James launch from Inkay all the time. As Throh was still in the middle of its missed attack, Psybeam hit its backside and it tumbled face-first into the dirt. The referee didn't call it, meaning that Throh was still in the battle.

"Bro, get your Throh up. Breloom, use lots of Mach Punches on that Sigilyph so it doesn't hurt Throh anymore."

"Loom Breloom!" the Mushroom Pokémon responded. Leaving behind Magnezone, Breloom leapt upwards, the speed of its Mach Punch carrying it to Sigilyph where it hammered the Avianoid Pokémon with impunity, causing it to descend a little. As it did so, Throh was back on its knees and pulling itself to its feet. Magnezone was making another move.

The sky above darkened, blotting out the sun and causing a slight shiver to pass over the crowd. Brock pulled his jacket up and over his head a second later and Serena was able to guess the attack that was being used: Rain Dance. Sure enough, pitter-patters of rain started falling in a stream around the stadium. Some spectators ran for cover, others used whatever they could to cover their heads, and some more prepared people were actually taking out umbrellas.

"We've gotta stop that Magnezone from making unpredictable moves. Throh, use Swagger!" Throh obeyed Kael's command by crossing its arms in front of itself. It wasn't bulking up like it did with Superpower, but Throh's body was still glowing red. Suddenly, Magnezone began to spin around, as if it were in a daze.

"Smart strategy," Gary commented. "Magnezone is dishing attacks out without the opponents knowing what's coming. By using Swagger, it's highly unlikely it can mount a decent counteroffensive, and allows them to deal with the more super effective Sigilyph. They're not all muscles, after all." Sure enough, Serena saw Magnezone send an Electric type move into the air that rained straight down on itself.

"Okay, bro, Throh and I are back in action," Kael told his teammate and brother.

"Sweet! Breloom and Throh, it's time to team up for our Super Brother's Combination!"

"Throh!"

"Loom!" The Pokémon appeared to understand what their trainers meant, because they instantly started preparing attacks without commands. Throh began running, bulking up a little as it did so, while Breloom put only one step forward and jagged small stones began to levitate around its figure. Sigilyph was climbing higher to evade the now charging Throh, who seemed dead set on making its attack land. Throh's attack, however, turned out to be a trap. Breloom fired off its jagged stones in a straight line upward, right into the path of Sigilyph. The moment that the Psychic type hit that area, it was bombarded by stones that brought it crashing down to the stadium floor where Throh was waiting with a Body Slam.

"Agh, Sigilyph, they're nothing but beefy fighting types!" Edwin complained, adjusting his wristwatch. "Show them who the superior Pokémon is by using Psybeam!" Sigilyph flapped its wings again to recover from its fall and sent a Psybeam hurtling towards the pair. Just like the Air Cutter attack, Throh moved just a little to shield Breloom from the attack.

"That's right, Throh! Show 'im what it means to be a real, bro! Tank it and use Payback!" In the midst of Psybeam impacting with Throh, the Judo Pokémon's body was surrounded by its purple glow again, lost amidst the other colors of Psybeam. Then the beam fired, cutting right through the Psybeam by splitting it in half and nailing Sigilyph on its body. The Psychic type hung there for a moment, and then came crashing down to the ground.

"Ouch! It looks like Sigilyph is already out of the battle. Not good news for Team Research…but, it appears that Magnezone is back in the game," Kalas announced enthusiastically.

"Zap Cannon," Kenneth mumbled and the crowd actually gasped. Serena settled for raising an eyebrow at the fact that the trainer who looked every bit the engineer that Clemont did actually spoke (she also realized that three-fifths of Team Research happened to wear glasses, but that fact was irrelevant). Magnezone faced its opponents and a yellow orb, with a red center that looked like a creepy eye, was formed. It took only seconds to fire it at its opponents. It was such a small ball, that Serena thought it would miss…until it started growing bigger as it sailed through the rain, volts of electricity pouring out of it as it was attracted by the precipitation.

"Breloom, take it!" Jael ordered. Breloom nodded and used Mach Punch to help it speed forward just in time to take the full brunt of the Zap Cannon. When the smoke that resulted from the explosion was starting to fade, Breloom looked exhausted and just a little charred from the impact. Throh, in any case, was on the move again.

"Use Superpower!" Throh started beefing up again, cloaked in its red aura as it dashed, almost every step feeling like a shuddering earthquake with the power it was emanating. Magnezone began to spin again in its Gyro Ball and it was heading straight for Throh. The two collided seconds later as Throh grabbed Magnezone, but the Magnet Area Pokémon, if anything, increased the rotation of its spins. Despite that Throh managed to force Magnezone downward into the ground, causing some of the field to be indented. Its muscles then reduced to normal size.

Magnezone shot back up, its Gyro Ball still going strong as it assaulted Throh and drove the Judo Pokémon into the ground instead. Unlike last time, Throh was not getting up. The battle had become a one-on-one yet again.

"We got to be careful and avenge our bro, Breloom. Use Stun Spore around yourself!" Breloom started shaking itself vigorously while Magnezone was returning its attention to it. Around Breloom, spores of golden yellow were pouring out like a haze, so thick that the outline of Breloom could barely be seen through the sickly mist.

"Flash Cannon! Followed by Zap Cannon! Let's finish!" Kenneth suddenly yelled. Serena stopped herself from laughing. He clearly thought victory was assured and had no problem in announcing it as so. Magnezone fired off a silver beam of light straight into the swirling spores and followed up with that same yellow orb from before that bore into the Flash Cannon. When they reached the center of the haze, they exploded and Kenneth started laughing wildly…almost like an evil scientist.

"Flurry of Mach Punches! Let's go!" From behind the Electric type, Breloom emerged and it punched upward, knocking a now confused Magnezone away and down a little. Breloom closed the distance and began pummeling the unsuspecting Electric type as the haze cleared. A doll sat where the spores had been and where the attack had collided.

"Substitute…" Clemont observed in surprise. What was more surprising was that Magnezone was unable to do anything as it took the Mach Punches until Breloom made a final one that slammed it into the ground. Despite the overwhelming type disadvantage, Team Trainer had pulled out a near flawless victory.

"Magnezone is unable to battle. The victory goes to Jael and Kael of Team Trainer!"

"What an upset!" Kalas screamed to the roaring crowd. "Despite the possibility of numerous setbacks, Team Trainer has claimed victory, putting them even with the frontrunners of the tournament!"

"That's what it means to be bros!" Jael and Kael screamed to a roar of approval. They gave each other fist bumps before turning to their opponents and bowing. "Thank you for the match."

"Just hear those cheers! Despite rather unimpressive showings in the competitions, you can feel the love for Jael and Kael right now. Come on and join with me in feeling that brotherly love." Ash was applauding, too, clearly quite impressed with the battle. That clapping faded as the screen displayed the words they were all waiting to see.

TEAM KETCHUM vs. TEAM BRUTAL

ASH, CLEMONT vs. SEAMUS, TRAVIS

"You ready?" Ash asked to his bespectacled companion. Serena stood, clasping her dress tightly. His tone had been so serious that Serena knew he was going to go into this battle with a hundred percent conviction. It was obvious just from the way that Pikachu was holding himself.

"Let's go," Clemont responded. He and Ash turned away from the field and began making their way to the corridor to the stadium.

"Bring us a win, Ash and Clemont!" Bonnie yelled exuberantly. Serena watched them go as fear gripped her heart; it wasn't a fear that they would lose, but a fear that she'd hate herself if she didn't say anything to them in that moment. Steeling her resolve, Serena followed them, picking up the pace a little to catch them right before they could enter into the coliseum's arena.

"Ash! Clemont!" she nearly screamed. Ash was the first to turn back, though it wasn't like Clemont ignored her either. "I…We all believe in you. I know you'll win, because you're some of the best trainers in this tournament."

"You bet," Clemont said, using his Aipom Arm to give a hearty thumbs up. Serena looked at Ash, waiting for his own response. He smiled.

"Thanks for believing in us. Let's win this, Pikachu, for Serena and everybody."

"Pika pika!" Ash turned around again, and Serena watched his and Clemont's back as they strode into the light of the stadium. She nodded and then whipped herself back around to join her friends in the stands. She got there in time to see Ash and Clemont still approaching the battlefield.

"No need to worry, Ash!"

"You've got this!"

"Show 'em your cool dance moves!"

"Win this one for all of us!"

"Show Team Brutal what it means to be a trainer." Serena was surprised to hear that last one come from Aria. It was heartening, though, to hear so many trainers in support of their team while Ash and Clemont came to stand in the trainer's box. Seamus and Travis were also approaching, coming to standstill soon after. Unlike the last two fights, Serena approached the edge of the stands to watch the battle in full, her hands twisting together nervously. Her eyes observed Seamus and Travis, noting that for once they didn't seem to be smirking before a battle.

"This is it, folks!" Harry said in a muted cry. Clearly, he was trying to be extra dramatic for the upcoming fight. "This is the battle you've all been waiting for. The two teams that have been frontrunners the last two days are now going head to head, and I'm sure this promises to be the most exciting match in KTT history. Team Ketchum's Ash and Clemont, against Team Brutal's Travis and Seamus.

"The match will start momentarily."

Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and onto the field while the other trainers clasped the pokeballs they were going to use. Serena was watching with nervous anticipation, just like the rest of the crowd. Even Gary and Brock were both on their feet and watching the calm before the storm on the battlefield. Bonnie moved closer to Serena and took her free hand in encouragement, or maybe it was worry.

"We finally get to face off," Seamus said, breaking the silence. "I've been waiting for this moment ever since I saw you participate in the Lily of the Valley Conference. That's when I knew for sure."

"Did you participate?" Ash asked, his eyes stern and focused.

"Not at all," Seamus replied, "but I saw your battle with that Paul guy. I was almost impressed…until you lost to that Latios and I realized you were just another run of the mill trainer. I figured you were nothing, and now I get to prove that."

"Stop dishing out the past, Seamus," Travis said, a growl in his voice. "We came here to fight, not talk. Words are useless."

"Heh, right," Seamus concurred with a menacing chuckle. He turned back to staring across the field at his opponents. Ash looked to Clemont and both trainers nodded, causing Serena to briefly tighten her grip on Bonnie's hand. No matter what the result, she was sure this was going to be an intense battle.

 _Clang!_  went the bell.

"Emboar, show them your strength."

"You're up, Feraligatr!"

"Bunnelby, let's go!"

"The battle begins!" Kalas cried loudly, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, but Serena could only pay attention to the field.

"Let's move!" Seamus ordered to Emboar and the Fire type stepped forward.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu dashed forward at a blistering speed. It proved that the Electric type was just as pumped up about winning this battle as his trainer was, because Serena had never seen him move faster. Emboar had barely completed that first step when Pikachu was on it, leaping into the air and slamming into its chest. "Now, use Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as its tail glowed. The tail whipped to the side and slammed right where he'd just hit Emboar in the stomach. Emboar stumbled to the side, knocking into Feraligatr.

"Bunnelby, Mud Shot!" Clemont ordered. Bunnelby bounced forward and then brought itself into a higher jump. Brown globules of mud surrounded the Digging Pokémon's ears and it flung them towards the two Pokémon. The projectiles moved quickly and impacted with a light explosion. The crowd gave a cheer and Serena noticed the absolutely dumbstruck look on both Seamus and Travis' faces; they hadn't expected their opponents to get the upper hand so quickly.

"Emboar, use Fire Punch!"

"Boar!" Emboar cried, snapping its fist back as it engulfed itself in flames. Pikachu was close by and Emboar launched forward in its attack.

"Dodge it and use Electro Ball!" Just before the Fire Punch was about to hit Pikachu, he rolled to the side and leapt upward. The Fire Punch impacted with the ground, dispersing the flames on Emboar's fist with plumes of smoke.

"Pika pika pika…chu pi!" Pikachu cried. The crackling orb of electricity formed by Pikachu's tail and he sent it flying where it collided with his two opponents.

"Separate yourself from Feraligatr already!" Seamus yelled. Emboar shook its head, like it was a little dazed from Pikachu's attack. Upon hearing its trainer's command, Emboar leapt to side, his jump making the stadium shake a little. At the same moment, Clemont gave a command and Bunnelby dove into the ground, burrowing underneath it, unseen.

"Don't let that Bunnelby get the better of you! Rock Tomb!" Travis ordered. Feraligatr stretched its arms outward and stones suddenly lifted from the battlefield. The Big Jaw Pokémon then slammed its claws together, forcing the rocks to fall down to the battlefield almost like colliding meteorites. At that moment, Bunnelby emerged from the ground at Feraligatr's feet.

"Let's do it!" Clemont cried as Bunnelby charged upward and slammed right into Feraligatr's jaw. Feraligatr stumbled backwards and the rest of the rocks came crashing down. One of them was straight above Bunnelby and he attempted to dodge. He almost got away until the force of the Rock Tomb blew the poor bunny straight towards Feraligatr.

"Ah! Pikachu, use Quick Attack to rescue Bunnelby!" Ash called out. Pikachu skidded along the ground while changing direction and dashing for his companion.

"Ice Fang!" roared Travis. Feraligatr opened its jaw wide, a frozen chill surrounding it as it lunged at Bunnelby, who was getting up from the blast. Just before Feraligatr was about to hit, Pikachu intercepted the attack, once more knocking into the water type's jaw. At the same time, he grabbed onto Bunnelby and dashed the both of them away to safety. When they stopped, Pikachu shuddered, and Serena noticed that part of his back was frozen from the Ice Fang.

"Break that ice with your ears Bunnelby," Clemont ordered. Bunnelby whapped its ears on the ice, breaking it off of Pikachu's back quickly. Emboar and Feraligatr were on the move again.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"PikaCHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu screamed as his body was surrounded by its ever-known electricity. The bolt soared outward, slamming into Emboar. This time, the Fire type wasn't stopping in its advance forward.

"Power-Up Punch on Pikachu!" Emboar reared back again, its fist now surrounded with an orange aura. Pikachu ceased its now useless Thunderbolt as Emboar struck forward. The punch slammed into Pikachu and sent him flying towards the stadium side. Serena gasped and almost closed her eyes, afraid that Pikachu would slam into the wall like Jessie's Gourgeist had two days ago.

"Buddy, use your tail and spring off the wall, straight for the both of them!"

"Pika!" Pikachu called out, acknowledging his trainer's command. Pikachu twisted in midair so that his back was angling towards the wall. He then stuck his tail out like a spring which coiled upon the impact with the wall. After a few terse seconds, the spring recoiled and Pikachu shot forward even faster than Quick Attack usually allowed him to. "Time to bring out an old move. Use Counter Shield!"

"Counter Shield?" Serena asked of Brock and Gary.

"It's a move that Ash and Dawn developed in Sinnoh," Brock explained, continuing to watch the battle. That was where Serena kept her attention as well. Pikachu began to spin in midair, emitting a powerful Thunderbolt. That attack, combined with the spinning, caused what looked like a rotating whirlwind of electricity that was aiming straight for its opponents. "It allows the user to attack while also defending itself by using its attack as a shield. Definitely one of Ash's better strategies; it was so good that even Paul used it in their final battle."

Pikachu had now reached Feraligatr, who was the closest opponent of the two. Feraligatr was crossing its arms, as if it would stop the Thunderbolt from affecting it. It did no such thing and Pikachu was able to reach Feraligatr and slam onto its head with another well-executed Iron Tail. That forced the water-type's head down, making it unable to see the next attack coming.

"Bunnelby, Wild Charge!" Clemont commanded. Bunnelby ran forward, picking up speed as its own body was wreathed in electricity. Pikachu leapt off of Feraligatr and out of the way of Bunnelby's stampeding attack before the Digger Pokémon collided with Feraligatr and pushed into it, straight into Emboar, the shocks from his attack emitting outward. The two Pokémon tumbled to the floor while Bunnelby burrowed into the ground and popped up next to Pikachu once it was done suffering from its recoil.

"Whoa, mama!" Kalas cried out. "Who knew those two tiny Pokémon could be such powerhouses? They're definitely not at a disadvantage here, folks."

"Yeah, but now the real battle begins," Gary commented leaning forward.

"Huh? But they've been battling at their best this entire time," Bonnie said, clearly not understanding what Gary was trying to say. Not that Serena understood it either, until she looked down at the battlefield again. It was a very subtle change, but one that was there nonetheless. All four of the trainers and their Pokémon had changed their stances.

"You mean to say…?" Serena began, not wanting to finish the thought for fear that she was wrong.

"Yup. They were just testing each other's strength. Travis and Seamus realize they have to get serious now, and Ash and Clemont realize the next phase of the battle won't be quite as easy as the first. This is where the true test of trainer and Pokémon starts," Gary concluded. Serena's hand stopped clenching her vest and it instead flew to her ribbon.

 _Come on, Ash…you can win…_ she thought desperately. Wind blew across the stadium, like in one of those old movies Serena would watch with her mom. Seamus took a slight step forward.

"Flare Blitz," he said calmly.

Emboar surged forward, its body surrounded by auburn flames. Even from where she was, Serena could feel the heat emanating from Emboar and she feared what it could mean for Ash's Pikachu down below. Before the two smaller Pokémon knew what was upon them, Emboar was there, its flames consuming them. Pikachu went flying off, the flames still clinging to his body as he did so.

"Block it with your ears!" Clemont yelled. Despite the intense, searing heat that was razing its body, Bunnelby flung both of its ears out, making them rigid as it found a single point on Emboar's chest from which to hold it back. The flames receded from around Emboar's body as the pig Pokémon tried to recover from the recoil it was suffering. Serena turned and saw that Feraligatr wasn't moving.

"What's going on with Feraligatr?" she asked. While she was asking, Clemont ordered a Double Slap. Bunnelby's ears glowed and it bounced once as it slammed its ears into Emboar's body, knocking it backwards and away. Meanwhile, Pikachu was back on the stadium.

"Quick Attack!" Ash said. Pikachu dashed forward again. This time, Emboar was ready for the incoming electric mouse.

"Power-Up Punch!" Emboar once more punched forward with that same orange glow. The two attacks intercepted one another, but Emboar's attack proved to be the far more forceful of the two. Pikachu once more went sailing off, though not at the same speed that it had last time.

"Thunderbolt, now!"

"Dodge it!" Emboar ceased its attack and began to dodge, only to stop in its tracks. Pikachu simultaneously fired off a Thunderbolt at it from midair, keeping the attack going until it landed in a skidding stop across the battlefield floor. The bolt of lightning engulfed Emboar.

"I don't get it…why isn't the other team dodging?" Bonnie asked, squeezing Dedenne so tightly it looked like it was about to pop. Squishy appeared to have avoided such a fate.

"Static," Brock answered. "Pikachu's special ability is Static which gives it the probability to cause paralysis in any Pokémon that makes direct contact with him. Clearly Emboar and Feraligatr drew the short end of the stick."

"Then we'll have to make the best of this," Seamus spat. "If our mobility is hindered in this battle, we'll show you how two  _real_  trainers can work together."

"Right," Travis concurred. "Feraligatr, use Rock Tomb and get some altitude!"

"Gatr…" the crocodile Pokémon said. It flung its arms out, and just like last time, the rocks lifted upwards. Feraligatr leapt upwards and latched onto a rock with its claws. The momentum of the rising rocks carried it upwards. Serena let go of Bonnie's hand to lean on the stadium's edge in worry.

"Pikachu, use Rock Tomb Climb!" Ash ordered. Pikachu dashed forward and leapt upward as the rocks began to hurtle downward. Bunnelby dove underneath to ground to protect itself. Meanwhile, Pikachu was gaining altitude, using Iron Tail one at a time to blast the rocks away from it. "Get above Feraligatr!"

"Too late for that. Hydro Pump!" From its perch atop the highest rock, Feraligatr leapt off and from its maw emerged a brutal torrent of water. It was almost like a concentrated beam of it that slammed into Pikachu. He crashed through the rocks and impacted with the ground, making a small crater as the pummeling force of the water kept him locked under. Feraligatr, meanwhile, was able to keep its altitude by jumping from suspended rock to suspended rock before they could fall.

"Batter Pikachu with Fire Punch," Seamus commanded with a snap of his fingers. Emboar stampeded forward, both of its fists imbued with flames. Despite the water rushing around Pikachu, Emboar was able to punch downward and successfully slam into Pikachu. Unable to move from the stream of water, Pikachu took the hits without any chance of escaping. After three or four powerful strikes, Emboar suddenly stopped, the paralysis taking over.

"Cover for paralysis with Ice Fang, Feraligatr!" At the same time as Feraligatr pumped out its (likely) most powerful water attack, its fangs were surrounded with that icy aura once again. The water began to freeze like a giant pillar of sheer crystal, soon to entomb Pikachu.

"We've gotta get Pikachu out of there," Clemont called to Bunnelby. "Pull him out with Dig." Bunnelby dug underneath the ground once again, and Serena could see the trail of dirt that was the indicator of it moving straight for Pikachu. The ice was growing thicker and ever closer to Pikachu. Feraligatr was also on the move, diving into the ice like it may as well have been water. Pikachu was in more danger than ever, and from the way Serena was gripping her ribbon, she thought her ribbon was in fear of being torn apart.

"Not this time, you little burrower. Bulldoze!" Seamus snapped in frustration. It was clear that the adverse effects of paralysis were making sure this battle did not go his way. From its distance, Emboar lifted a foot and brought it slamming down with a mighty crash. A shockwave split out from it, rippling the ground with intense waves that collided with where Bunnelby was heading for Pikachu. The Digger Pokémon never saw it coming, and Clemont couldn't order him to stop in time. The shockwave drove Bunnelby from the ground, ripping it apart at the same time. Bunnelby flew into the air, crying out in clear pain.

"Counter with Mud Shot, hurry!" Clemont said. Bunnelby strained a little, but was able to right itself enough to construct the globes of earth near its ears. With a self-same fling of them, the mud was off, colliding with Emboar's chest and feet. The mud caked on the pig Pokémon's feet, which made it begin to solidify from the heat coming off of Emboar's body. It bought them just a few seconds, but Emboar appeared to be stuck. Feraligatr was close to Pikachu now, almost too close.

"Pikachu, you can do this!" Ash called out to his partner. Underneath the still continuing downpour of water, Pikachu turned his head to look at his trainer. "Water conducts electricity. Use Thunderbolt."

"Pika," Pikachu acknowledged, though the sound was distorted through the water. His cheeks began sparking, and soon his whole entire body was surrounded by the electricity before he sent a raging arc of thunder through the water. "Pikachuuuu!"

"Let's get him out of there, Bunnelby."

"Bunnel!" the rabbit cried, once more driving himself into the earth. Despite the attack impacting powerfully with Feraligatr and sending it flying out of its own ice pillar, breaking it apart in the process, Pikachu was still in danger. The ice was falling now, and along with it was the rest of Feraligatr's Rock Tomb. Pikachu wasn't out, but he wasn't moving much either, still feeling the gravity effect of the Hydro Pump that had been pummeling him. It turned out to be good thing that Bunnelby appeared underneath and pulled him into the hole just as a piece of the Rock Tomb slammed on that spot. A long distance away, Feraligatr was recovering, still dazed from the shocking Thunderbolt.

"Pikachu, hurry and use Electro Ball!"

"Emboar, get ready and use-"

"Chu pi!" Before Seamus could even finish his command, Pikachu was thrown out of one of the holes in the stadium ground by what seemed to be Bunnelby's ears. Just as he emerged, Pikachu launched the crackling, electrified projectile at Emboar. The Fire Pokémon, just like its trainer, hadn't seen it coming and it flew backward. The attack broke away the caked on mud and sent Emboar ramming into its partner Pokémon, where the two slumped against each other.

"Yeah! Yeah! We're on a roll!" Bonnie screamed, dancing up and down. The rest of the crowd appeared to feel her enthusiasm, but Serena wasn't quite as convinced that they were out of the woods yet. Pikachu and Bunnelby were both looking exhausted. Sure, Ash and Clemont seemed to have the upper hand at the moment, but Emboar and Feraligatr had been taking some of their most powerful hits without even batting an eye. Okay, maybe they were batting eyes, but they kept getting up again and again.

As Emboar and Feraligatr finally finished getting up again, Serena noticed another subtle change in the trainers' body language. Something else had changed in the battle, and the honey-blonde had a very distinct feeling that it was all going to come to its conclusion soon. She felt the need to voice her thoughts, but for a moment received no response from her other companions. A hush fell over the audience while Emboar and Feraligatr slowly faced their opponents. Serena swallowed.

"It's endgame," Gary said, confirming her own musings. "Their abilities are activating."

"What abilities?" Bonnie asked. Dedenne apparently wondered the same, judging from his "Ne ne?"

"Blaze and Torrent," Brock answered the younger girl. That certainly seemed fitting names for the abilities, Serena thought, as she watched those very abilities activating on the field below. Feraligatr was covered in an undulating aura that looked similar to Ash-Greninja's water veil, but didn't obscure it from view. On the other hand, Emboar's flames had grown larger, practically consuming the body of the Pokémon using it. "They'll power up their moves at low health. Emboar, in particular, is worrisome. All those Power-Up Punches combined with Blaze. They're in for a rough final part of the battle."

"Let's end this," Seamus was saying down below.

"Eyes forward, Pikachu. We're winning this," Ash said to keep the morale up on their team. "I'm counting on you, Clemont."

"You, too, Ash," Clemont confirmed. Both trainers and their Pokémon brought themselves into a defensive stance, ready for the impending attack.

"Blaze forward with Fire Punch!" Seamus screamed out. Despite the heavy wounds that Emboar had inflicted, Serena was absolutely floored by the amount of energy that Blaze appeared to have given Emboar. The Pig Pokémon crashed forward at blistering speed. Pikachu and Bunnelby braced themselves, realizing it was moving too fast for the smaller Pokémon to dodge. Emboar punched forward before it even reached them. It was like a jet propelled flame. Despite the physical punch not connecting with the two, its flames and force slammed into them with the power of a train. Pikachu and Bunnelby went flying backwards as Feraligatr came into the area.

"Use Crunch," Travis said, folding his arms across his chest while giving the order. Feraligatr's maw opened wide as Pikachu and Bunnelby continued their tumble backwards. Once it snapped its jaws shut, Serena saw that Pikachu's tail and Bunnelby's ears were caught.

"Come on…get free…" she said under her breath, realizing how futile her wishes were in that moment. Feraligatr whipped its head and the two Pokémon were flung out, yelping with the pain from the attack. All too quickly, Feraligatr sent its torrential Hydro Pump at the two, sending them flying further. It was a shorter attack than last time, but effective enough for what Travis had wanted. Bunnelby was the first to land on the ground, tumbling with multiple bumps and potential bruises. Pikachu was falling slower, though both of them looked ready to just keel over.

"Bunnelby, get up! We have to support Pikachu," Clemont cried out desperately. Bunnelby rose to a shaky foot and nodded at his trainer, not giving up. Serena breathed just a little as Pikachu sailed right for Bunnelby. "Catch Pikachu and throw it with your ears."

"Bunby!" Bunnelby bellowed and just before Pikachu made impact, he caught the electric mouse. With as much strength as he could muster, Bunnelby then flung Pikachu towards the two lumbering Pokémon that were preparing their next attacks.

"Prepare your biggest Thunderbolt and use Counter Shield," Ash commanded quickly. Pikachu began to whir its tail like a rotor, helping it to spin in midair. At the same time, he screamed loudly, letting off one of the strongest Thunderbolts that Serena was sure he had ever output. The electric attack buffeted Feraligatr and Emboar as Pikachu moved closer to them.

"Slam it to the ground," Seamus spat. As soon as Pikachu was in range, Emboar's fist was wreathed in flame and it smashed Pikachu downward, creating another small crater. Pikachu cried out in pain.

"Use Dig to stop Emboar!" Clemont yelled out.

"I told you that wouldn't work. Bulldoze!" But Seamus' command didn't account for luck. Emboar was about to bring its foot crashing down when it seized up, the convulsions of paralysis taking its body. Pikachu recognized its chance, and upon orders from Ash, struck Emboar with a Quick Attack. Bunnelby then emerged from the ground, driving Emboar upwards a little before using its ears in a Double Slap that made the Fire type fly backwards into its companion once more.

"Thunderbolt, quick!"

"Chuuuu!" Pikachu yelled, sending a short Thunderbolt to electrify their opponents. Once his attack was finished, Pikachu and Bunnelby both dropped to one knee, the battle taking its toll. When the smoke from Thunderbolt had cleared, it was obvious that Emboar and Feraligatr were no better off, each panting with exertion; Blaze and Torrent had only taken them so far. The battle was certainly reaching its climax.

"It's time, Travis!" Seamus roared, throwing one of his hands behind him.

"Right! Feraligatr, Rock Tomb!" Feraligatr stretched its arms wide and the rocks once more ascended into the air. This time, however, they didn't fall. Instead, Feraligatr used Hydro Pump to push them all together before they could. With the rocks wet, Feraligatr finished with Ice Fang, making the rocks into a gigantic globe of shimmering ice, almost reflective in its properties. In fact, Serena could swear that she could see the Pokémon on the field within the surface of the ice.

"You see," Seamus began, tossing one last smirk to Ash and Clemont, "starting strong doesn't matter. You have to finish strong…and this is your deathblow. Emboar, use Fire Punch!"

Just as it had with the last punch, the actual fist didn't make contact with the globe, but the flames and the force did, lighting the conglomerate of rocks into a blazing meteorite that was descending towards the struggling Pikachu and Bunnelby. They could hardly move, let alone dodge, a huge target like that. It looked like it really would be the end.

 _No…_ Serena cried inside.  _They can't lose like this!_

That was when courage welled up inside of her, and she screamed out, "Ash, Clemont! Don't give up until the end! We all believe in you! We'll continue to believe in you, and all our Pokémon!" With her statement finished, Serena threw her fist into the air, representing their sign of victory. Ash turned, and he looked straight up at her. When he saw her, he smiled a tender smile and nodded. He had gotten the message.

"Pikachu, Bunnelby, you guys are the greatest! So let's show everyone here what it means to be partners and friends…no…a family."

"Let's work together," Clemont concluded. The sound of the descending attack drowned out anything else at this point, engulfing the stadium in a horrid red light. The ensuing explosion in the middle of the field was so great, Serena let go of her ribbon to hold on to her hat before it could fly away from her. Bonnie was doing a similar thing, yet in the middle of that reddish, apocalyptic haze, Serena could see Bonnie lifting her own fist as high as it could go. Then Gary. Then Brock.

As the haze lifted, and color returned to normal, Seamus' booming, callous laugh could be heard across the stadium. Then it stopped. Serena saw why: Pikachu and Bunnelby had escaped the attack by hiding in the ground together. More than that, was the shock on Seamus and Travis' faces as they stared at the audience. All around, the teams had lifted their hands to the sky, an unwavering symbol of strength and resolve. Some of them were holding their pokeballs in their fists and some of them were just staring resolutely. Even some of the audience had joined in. It was certainly a moment for Kalos history.

"Let's finish this up. Pikachu, ride Bunnelby!"

"And Bunnelby, use Wild Charge!" Bunnelby started charging forward, that burst of electricity surrounding its body. Sparks flew from Pikachu as he leapt on Bunnelby's back, not slowing the attack down in the slightest, but generating more electricity. Emboar and Feraligatr were stuck, trying to move, but bogged down by their paralysis. Like a beautiful blaze of electric glory, Pikachu and Bunnelby continued their attack. Pikachu then leapt into the air.

"Pika pika pika pika pika pika…"

"All right," Ash and Clemont yelled together. "Wild Electro Ball Charge!"

"…chu pi!" Pikachu screamed, sending a powered-up Electro Ball soaring in front of Bunnelby. Clemont's Pokémon dove into the projectile, absorbing all of its electricity before charging forward and impacting with its two opponents. An explosion shuddered through the stadium and the screens that were showing the battle cracked and fizzled out one by one from the static in the air, leaving only one active that was showing the smoke plume where the attack had connected.

Serena lowered her fist and once more grabbed her ribbon, waiting for the smoke to go away. After a moment, it did, showing Feraligatr down and out. Emboar was still standing on shaky feet. Bunnelby landed and was caught by Pikachu, both of the Pokémon exhausted from the battle, but ready for more if need be. Emboar took a shuddering step forward…and collapsed.

Silence hung in the stadium, and the bell rang loudly.

"Feraligatr and Emboar are unable to battle. The winners are Pikachu and Bunnelby. Therefore, the victory goes to Team Ketchum's Ash and Clemont!"

The ensuing roar that scattered across the stadium was almost as loud as the explosions that had taken part in the battle. It was an absolute cry of victory for Team Ketchum, or rather, for all the trainers taking part in the tournament. Bonnie cheered loudly, leaping into Serena's arms as she cried tears of joy. They had done it! They had really done it! The tournament wasn't over yet, but none of that mattered. Ash and Clemont had defeated Team Brutal!

"I'm not surprised," Serena heard May shout over the crowd.

"A most interesting strategy. I will have to analyze it."

"Dose twoips really got sometin goin' for dem," Meowth was no doubt commenting.

"I'm making a total record of this in my notebook."

"A truly graceful win for all Pokémon trainers. Well done, Ash Ketchum and Clemont."

"Heh, they're not happy…"

"Let them sulk. We all know what the goal is for tomorrow."

As one, the stadium cried out. "Take out the top team! Team Ketchum!"

With the widest smile imaginable, Serena turned to the scoreboard on the only undestroyed screen that would lead them into the final day.

TEAM KETCHUM 28

TEAM TRAINER 23

TEAM BRUTAL 23

TEAM COORDINATOR 21

TEAM PERFORMER 16

TEAM RESEARCH 12

"That is it for today, folks! And what a final battle that was!" Kalas cried above the cheering crowd. "Despite needing to fix those screens, we'll continue onward. Everything culminates tomorrow on the final day for a full team battle! Until then, folks!"

"All right, Team Ketchum!" Bonnie cried out, loud enough for Ash and Clemont to hear while they tended to their Pokémon on the field below. "Onward to victory!"

* * *

Zinnia hummed to herself as she kicked her legs back and forth, watching the cries of victory erupting from the crowd. Her own sound was drowned out by it, but she didn't mind. That Ash kid really was something special. His friend Clemont was pretty good, too, but there was something about the way he commanded his Pikachu that inspired confidence in all the trainers. He was like a warrior for the modern day of Pokémon training.

"Bet Aster would have liked him…" Zinnia said. Her legs stopped moving and tears fumbled down her cheeks. She shook her head and used her cloak to wipe the tears away. There was no room for them. Tomorrow the tournament was going to finish, so she had no time to wax sentimental.

After all, everything was about to begin.

Zinnia took a final look to the keystone resting on her anklet and scoffed at the parting gift. Then she grit her teeth at the sparkling near it. This couldn't be happening now…not when she was so close. Zinnia shut her eyes and waited for the feeling to pass. Once it had, she tossed a pokeball over the side of the stadium, her loyal Salamence emerging from it. Unbeknownst to the wildly cheering crowd, she leapt off onto her Salamence as it took to the skies for a meeting place on the edge of town, deep in a forest. Once she'd disembarked, she recalled Salamence and approached the hulking figure.

"Why have you come?" he asked in a rumbling voice, not even facing her. "You know I have no part in this era or any."

"Of course I know that," Zinnia said, leaning casually against a tree. "But I told you that I'm going to prove you were wrong. I'm going to prove that you made a mistake in leaving the Draconid Clan to their fate."

"Mistakes…war breeds mistakes…" the man said, still not looking at her. "War, hatred, love, birth, death, peace. All of it can be seen as the same sides of the same coins. The Draconid Clan could not understand."

"We understand war all too well," Zinnia spat angrily.

"Yes…and yet you perpetuate more. Is that your solution? Is that your answer?" Zinnia said nothing to the man for a moment and he grunted mournfully. "Yes…I thought as much. We are on the precipice of the changing of an age for this region."

"Indeed we are," the teenage girl replied. "And I intend to make that change my own. So, sit there and watch, AZ. By tomorrow night, you'll have my answer. In the meantime, I'm going to have some fun.

"Those spineless trainers of this world won't even know what hit them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Whew…what a battle! And what an ending! Am I right? I really hope this chapter was a great chapter for all of you. I had a blast writing it, so I hope you had a blast reading it. I would like to say that final battle was one of the most intense I've ever written, particularly for this story, and I'd like to think that it translated that intensity for you. Only you can let me know, though. I found it very funny that everyone thought it would be Greninja and Luxray against Team Brutal. Right from the beginning, I knew it was going to be Pikachu and Bunnelby. That said, don't count out Greninja or Luxray quite yet.
> 
> As for that ending, yes, that is AZ because, in a small way, I kind of wanted to connect this story to the anime's Team Flare plot using game characters. I have no idea if AZ will appear in the anime (though I'd like him to) so this is my way of doing so. And since it's AU, well…
> 
> Your reviews are like a beacon of light to my troubled writer's soul…that was a joke. But seriously, they do encourage me to keep writing every day. So, until my next posting, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	13. A Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with another chapter! Hope you've been looking forward to it. So, let's begin Chapter 13, and a Happy Easter for those of you that celebrate it!

Chapter 13

A Promise

_Ding ding ding a ding!_

"Ash, Clemont, your Pokémon are all better now," called the kind voice of Nurse Joy. Brock stepped out from behind her, wheeling the cart with Pikachu and Bunnelby on it. Both of them were looking as fit as ever.

"I checked them over myself," Brock told them.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out, bounding from the cart and onto Ash's shoulder.

"You did great out there today, buddy," Ash said, scratching behind his partner's ears. Pikachu soaked in the adoration and praise from his trainer. Clemont was thanking Bunnelby as well while his sister quickly grabbed the poor Pokémon and hugged it tightly. Gary walked over and slapped Ash heartily on the back.

"Nice job, Ashy-boy," he told him. "That was some mobility out there, Pikachu. You keep battling like that, you'll help us win not only the tournament but you might win the whole Kalos League."

"That's the plan!" Ash said, clasping Gary's hand and giving it a firm shake. It was then he noticed Serena standing there, framed by the light of the Pokémon Center's doorway. Despite wearing the clothes he saw her in just about every day, she looked stunning bathed in the golden light of the slowly setting sun. It brought to mind her encouraging words during the battle. So, while Gary moved off to talk with Brock (the one who was suspiciously  _not_  flirting with Nurse Joy), Ash moved forward to talk to Serena.

"All better, Pikachu?" Serena asked, reaching over and petting the electric mouse herself.

"Cha…" Pikachu said contentedly, nuzzling against Serena's hand. Ash smiled; it was nice that Serena cared so much about his Pokémon. He felt the same way, of course. All of his friend's Pokémon were a precious part of his family. He'd do anything for any one of them.

"You were amazing out there, Ash. The way you and Clemont combined strategies like that…" Serena said. Ash never let his grin falter as he stared into her eyes. Her eyes really were dazzling, like an endless blue sea. It was odd how clearly he could see that now, had seen it during the battle. When she had called out to him, to tell him to not give up and that she believed in him, he had answered and he saw those gorgeous orbs of blue stand out amongst the black and white crowd. Never before had he had a moment of such shocking clarity. It drove him forward.

He had thought the intensity of what he saw and felt in that moment was just due to the battle going on, but now that it was done, and he was here…things were different. Serena was different. Or maybe he was different. Ash couldn't be sure. The only thing he knew right then was that Serena's eyes showed so many emotions that he couldn't possibly comprehend, but he noticed the same tenderness in them that he had felt when she called to him.

"I couldn't have done it without Clemont, and Pikachu, of course," Ash laughed out. Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly and he chuckled.

"We should get you some food, first," Serena confirmed with a giggle.

"We'll all go," Clemont announced, breaking up the small moment between the two. "I hear that tonight's a Food Festival. They're bringing out food from all over various parts of the region, including all of the Ancien City specialties."

"Ches Chespin!" the grass type suddenly exclaimed, popping out of its pokeball at the mention of food. He sniffed at the air, and once it seemed his nose had locked on to a tantalizing smell, Clemont's unruliest Pokémon set off from the Pokémon Center into town.

"Not again!" Clemont sighed. Bonnie giggled and ran forward, indicating that her brother should do so as well. Obviously loathing the thought of having to run, Clemont nevertheless adjusted his backpack and set off after his sister. "We'll meet at the hotel's cafeteria tonight! I hear they're doing a full service buffet with some karaoke."

"Just don't sing, Clemont!" Bonnie called back to her brother while they started to recede in the distance. "If you do, I'll never find a wife for you."

"Bonnie, I've told you a million times…" Their voices soon faded into the sea of people conversing in the streets. Ash turned back to Brock and Gary…only to find they were already gone. Pikachu turned his head to look for them, but he didn't see them either. Both trainer and Pokémon shrugged.

"Let's go visit some booths, Serena!" Ash suddenly proclaimed. His stomach was churning now, begging for food to be put into it. Not wanting to wait for Serena's response, he grabbed her arm, a little close to her hand, and started pulling her along. She didn't protest, so Ash figured it was okay, and nothing out of the normal.

It was somewhere between the fourth and fifth booth full of him and his Pokémon stuffing their faces that the lights in the city came on, indicating the drop to nightfall. When that happened, Ash turned to Serena, who was sitting calmly on a bench, watching Ash as her Pokémon ate a much less substantial portion of food. The hot dog in his hand dropped, only being caught by Hawlucha, who broke a piece to share with Noibat.

She looked…lovely.

Ash blinked a little, thinking that maybe his vision was distorted. Again he realized that he'd seen plenty of pretty girls before, traveled with them even. He was no stranger to girls, not after Brock had spent years of his life hammering it into him. Still, he never thought he'd think of girls as actually "pretty". They looked nice, or their Pokémon looked really cool…but beyond that, Ash never thought of girls as all that different from boys. Until a few days ago…and now.

Framed by all the differently colored lights, Serena was dazzling beyond anything else. She was color in a sea of black. She was light in the veil of night. For the first time in Ash's life, he understood what Brock saw in other girls. But while Brock could see it in every girl, Ash could only see it in Serena…and he didn't even know why. All he knew was that he liked having her there beside him, pushing him forward while he pushed her. While he was stuck in the midst of his newfound admiration for Serena and her looks, the object of his current thoughts stood and closed the short distance between them.

"Ash, we should get back to the hotel," she reminded him. Her words finally brought him out of what he could have considered a revelation.

"Hotel…?" he stammered out. Serena looked at him curiously, like she thought there was something wrong with him. "Oh, right. The others."

"Yeah, I want to see if Clemont's going to sing," Serena laughed out. She then took a step forward and started leading her Pokémon down the road to the hotel. Ash shook his head to try and clear his thoughts (which wasn't working) before he stepped forward and caught up to her side. The lights that lined the streets flashed by, making Serena's face pass through so many colors, it was like she was a kaleidoscope. He was hit with a sudden, almost uncontrollable urge to grab her hand, like she had underneath those fireworks. It reminded him of that night under the Pledging Tree in Coumarine City, when he had given her the ribbon she still wore to this day. Not being one to throw away any chances, Ash went for it and grabbed her hand, giving it an unexpected light squeeze. "Ash?"

"Just…" he started to say, yet was finding it difficult. This feeling right now was so unusual to him. He could usually get words out fine. Next to his head, Pikachu twitched his tail as a natural quirk. That comforted Ash; there was no reason to act weird. He just had to speak what was on his mind like he normally did. "Thanks for today. You really helped me today."

"What did I do?" Serena asked, her head cocked to the side with a smile on her lips.

"You reminded me to never give up. So, I didn't."

"Oh…well, you're welcome." They finished the journey to the hotel's cafeteria hand in hand, with their Pokémon trotting alongside them. To neither of their surprise, the cafeteria was packed to the brim with trainers sampling all different types of foods. Despite having eaten plenty, Ash was still ready for more and he left to grab two plates. When he got back to where Serena had chosen to sit, however, he saw May and Shauna dragging her away. Ash just let it go and placed the plate down; she'd be back sooner than later. He wasn't alone for long.

"Ash, your battle today was incredible!" Sawyer exclaimed loudly. He wasn't alone as well. Conway and, of all people, Aria were with him. "How did you get Pikachu to do that Counter Shield move? What are the principles behind it? I have to know!"

"Uh…it's kind of hard to put in words," Ash admitted with embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head. "Pretty much you just have your Pokémon spin while putting out an attack that covers a wide range."

"You used it to great effect in Sinnoh," Conway admitted. The black-haired, bespectacled boy held his hand out. It was a strange gesture, but Ash took the hand anyway. "Your battle was marvelous, and I wanted to congratulate you on the win, even if I'll make sure you won't win tomorrow."

"Bring it on, Conway."

"Hey, I'm having a battle with Ash tomorrow, too! Save me a spot. Oh, I left Sceptile to get some food. See you later, Ash!" As soon as he'd arrived, Sawyer was bolting off again to where Sceptile was balancing multiple plates for his other Pokémon. Conway also disappeared with a creepy laugh that made it seem like he was fading into shadow. Aria stepped a little closer now, leaning over the table on her elbows instead of taking a seat.

"Someone's popular tonight, though it's no surprise," she said with a little wink. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? What does the Kalos Queen have to thank  _me_  for?" Ash asked with a little laugh. For a brief second, he couldn't believe he was actually speaking with  _the_  Kalos Queen in a casual conversation.

"Your courage," she answered. "What you and Clemont displayed on the battlefield today was something beyond fighting for pride. You were fighting for something greater, something that all Pokémon trainers should understand. I admire you for that…and I can see why Serena does, too."

"What do you mean, about Serena?" Ash asked, intrigued. Aria turned with a coy little smile and winked again.

"That one, I can't help you with. You'll have to figure it out on your own," she said, finally straightening herself. "In any case, best of luck tomorrow, and I hope we have the chance to dance at the closing festival, like we did at Monsieur Pierre's dance party. I'd like that. Now, I think I should go thank Clemont as well."

She obviously had caught sight of the laboriously breathing Clemont, who was clutching an entirely satisfied Chespin while Bonnie was running for the buffet. Ash just exhaled and dug into his own buffet plate as his Pokémon ran away. Up on the small stage set up in the cafeteria, Serena had been roped into doing a three-piece song with May and Shauna. She looked embarrassed to be doing so, obviously preferring dancing over singing. Ash thought she looked cute with the blush tinting her cheeks.

"Someone's staring…" sang out the familiar voice of Dawn. "I don't think I've ever seen you stare at a  _girl_  before, Ash."

"Who said I was staring at Serena?" Dawn gave him a look that instantly made him realize that he'd essentially said as much to her. The bluenette Coordinator continued to gaze at him with a smile, and Ash turned to her, a question on his tongue. "Dawn…have you ever…have you ever seen color in a world of black and white?"

"What kind of question is that?" Dawn giggled out.

"I mean, like…okay…" Ash pulled at his sideburns, trying to find the right words to say. Dawn reached over and patted his hands kindly. "Have you ever looked at a person and realized that they make you light up; make you want to be better?"

"Sure I have. Almost every day while we traveled through Sinnoh," Dawn answered seriously.

"Who?" Ash asked, genuinely surprised. Dawn obviously couldn't stop herself from laughing at that one.

"You, Ash." Ash's mouth dropped a little. "You made my world light up, not that I would have admitted it. I can admit it now because I don't feel the same way anymore."

"You…don't?" Dawn shook her head, her vision sliding off towards where Serena was returning from the stage with a face the shade of a Tomato Berry. Meanwhile, Miette and Jessie appeared to be arguing over the same stage space.

"Not anymore. You're just my best friend, Ash," Dawn told him happily. Then, as an afterthought, "Well, best human friend, that is."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Wait…are you telling me…you, Ash Ketchum, are actually understanding things like love?" Dawn asked in utter shock.

"Love? No, it's not that, I just…" Dawn suddenly leaned over and hugged Ash. Her whisper soon filled his ears with words he knew he wouldn't forget.

"Serena's a special girl. I like her, so don't let her get away." Then she drew back. In a louder voice, she said, "I'm pulling for you, Ash! So, no need to worry!"

Worrying wasn't his problem. It was the budding realization inside him that was causing him problems. Maybe he just needed to talk to Serena, but she was nowhere to be found. He frantically looked around the room and caught sight of her leaving to go outside on a terrace. With a scraping of his chair, Ash set off after her to the near deserted terrace. Serena was looking up at the stars, and didn't appear to hear his approach. When he finally stood next to her, she seemed to notice him.

"I just needed some air. What was Dawn talking to you about?" she asked suddenly.

"Oh, just…personal stuff, I guess. Why did May and Shauna drag you off to karaoke?" Serena just laughed nervously without giving a single answer. The two stood there on the terrace for a minute, hearing the clinking and chattering coming from inside the hotel. Then, Serena turned to Ash with a very determined look on her face.

"Ash, can I say something?" It was the tone of her voice that struck him the most and made him take whatever she was saying very seriously. He nodded. "I know we can win tomorrow, because we've come this far. But, most importantly, I wanted to tell you that no matter the result, there's something I've been meaning to say, and I want to share it with you when this tournament is over. So, can you promise me that you'll hear me out at the final night's festival, no matter what?"

"Sure thing," Ash said. Serena breathed in what sounded like relief. Then she stepped forward and hugged him around his midsection. Ash wasn't sure what to do or say, so he hugged her back a little. "I promise."

* * *

"It's finally here, ladies and gentlemen!" Kalas' voice cried out. It could barely be heard by anyone in the audience over the whizzing and popping of fireworks that were being set off to commemorate the final day of the tournament. "We've had some exciting moments over the last four days, but now it all culminates in a final battle that promises to be so intense, I hope you've brought some snacks."

"Each team has really put their skills and their faith in their Pokémon on the line in this tournament," Sycamore picked up. "I can only hope that this final day is as pleasing as it has ever been."

"We've certainly designed it that way," Aston remarked. "I don't want to give away the rules of the tournament before we begin, but I think this is our most elaborate final day we've planned in decades! The city council nearly blew a gasket when I suggested it."

"Yes, it does seem quite fascinating," Harry concurred with the mayor. "A perfect blend of competition and battling. But before we get into those nitty-gritty details, let's introduce all of our participating teams onto the field!"

"Whoooo!" the crowd roared. Up above in the Team Ketchum stands, Bonnie was jumping up and down wildly. Dedenne was doing much the same while Squishy simply rested in the sun.

"In sixth place, the team that has proven strategy isn't necessarily everything, it's Team Research with twelve points!" As soon as Kalas finished his introduction, Team Research began to stride on to the field. Most of the audience still cheered for them, though some actually booed at the team currently in last place. "And in fifth place are the lovely lady performers, Team Performer, the proud owner of sixteen points."

From where Serena was standing at the mouth of the corridor to the coliseum, she could see the girls of Team Performer striding onto the field with confidence. Next Harry called out for Team Coordinator and their twenty-one points. May was leading the mixed group while Dawn waved energetically to the crowd.

"Now our two teams tied for second place, give it up for Team Brutal and Team Trainer, both with twenty-three points!" The crowd's cheers grew larger, though since both teams were announced at the same time, it was hard to tell who exactly they were cheering for. Nevertheless, both teams took their individual positions within the coliseum. "And last, but certainly not the least, our current number one team with a whopping twenty-eight points. Everyone, get on your feet and scream for TEAM KETCHUM!"

Ash fixed his hat next to her as he walked into the mass of deafening cheers. Serena, likewise, made sure that her ribbon looked good as she followed him. Clemont, Brock, and Gary were right alongside her, reminding her that she wasn't alone in this. It also gave her courage to push away what she knew she would say after the tournament ended, in order to focus on the here and now.

Emerging into the stadium, Serena almost covered her ears at all the noise. Even after all the showcases she'd been to thus far, it still surprised her at how deafening a crowd could be when they cheered for their favorite team. It must have been what Ash and Gary had felt like at the Leagues they'd participated in. Yet instead of deterring her, it excited her and she took stock of all their opponents assembled on the field. Everyone was wearing the same looks of determination and intent to win the tournament, with the sole exception of Team Brutal. There was no doubt in Serena's mind as to what they had probably been up to the night before, but neither Seamus nor Travis looked happy, or even arrogant. It was like the two of them were just as devoid of any emotion as their teammates Rocky and Christopher were. By now, the crowd was quieting down.

"Today is it, trainers: the final day for glory in the Kalos Team Tournament. As a result of that, today is a day-long segment. That's right! No more competitions or battle setups! Instead, each team will be taking part in a full-team competition titled 'Team Tournament Brawl'!" The crowd appeared to like the name judging from the rise in decibel level. "It's a full team survival battle in which your arena is the whole of Ancien City! Please explain further, Mayor Aston."

"Of course," Aston complied. At this time, Serena noticed a referee on the field making his way to each of the team's supposed leaders and handing them a tablet. Ash took theirs and a picture of the square where the meteorite was appeared on the screen. "All six of our teams now have their starting spots in the city. This is their safe zone; no trainers can attack them while they are there, but nor can they attack other trainers and their Pokémon. The goal of this particular competition is simple: defeat your opponents. For every trainer on another team that your team defeats, you will earn one point.

"There are, of course, some stipulations to this seemingly simple rule. First of all, while you will gain points for defeating trainers, your team will also lose points for every trainer your team loses. Also, each trainer is only allowed the use of one Pokémon. Any more than one and your entire team will be disqualified."

"Won't these battles cause unnecessary damage to the city?" Sycamore asked.

"And how are zese battles to be judged?" Pierre followed up with.

"True, these Pokémon battles carry a certain liability to the city, but that is why we've reinforced them with inventions designed by myself personally.," Aston informed his fellow commentators. "As for the battles to be judged, we have placed throughout the city certain contraptions that activate what we call 'Battle Zones'. In these Battle Zones, you will be forced into one of four options for battle that are difficult to interfere with. Option number one is the 'Locked Battle Zone' where two trainers will be locked in combat until one or both are defeated. Until that time, no other trainer can interfere, and nor can any trainer leave. The second type of Battle Zone is the 'Timed Battle Zone'. Within this zone, trainers will have a certain number of moves in which to achieve victory. If the battle is not over then, our expert referee will make the call on the winner from inside the stadium.

"The next of our battle zones should be familiar with those Coordinators from other regions: an 'Appeal Battle Zone'. Here, the combatants will be ranked based on their appeals, judged by ourselves. This is also a timed battle, but ranked more on appeal points than just pure effectiveness of moves. Our final battle zone is the 'Inverted Battle Zone' where all types strengths and weaknesses are reversed. Outside of these zones, trainers are allowed to free battle in double battles, triple battles or more. It's up to the teams to decide on their own strategies and lead each other to victory. The team with the most points after every other team is taken out is the winner."

"Speaking of teams," Kalas yelled out, hoping to silence the once-more cheering crowd, "our teams will now be allowed a thirty-minute window to arrive at their starting destination and plan their strategies for the final day's event. There are cars waiting to take you there in record time. Good luck trainers. Do your best to show us the bonds of teamwork and trust between each other and your Pokémon. You may, as always, start at the Hyper Beam!"

Serena quickly turned to her teammates, each of whom looked ready for the last brawl they were slated to participate in. At other parts in the stadium, the other teams were already beginning to leave the area and head for their starting points. Ash looked up at Pikachu. "Buddy, why don't you go and watch the final match with Bonnie from the stands?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said, thumping his chest proudly. Ash also pulled out three of his other pokeballs to hand to his trusted partner. Serena thought that was a good idea and she grabbed two of her own pokeballs to toss up at Bonnie. The lemon-haired girl was waiting for them and caught all of the pokeballs being lobbed at her.

"Go, Team Ketchum! Good luck, you guys, we'll be rooting for you!"

"Pikachu!"

"All right, you guys ready?" Ash put his hand out and Serena was the first to follow. The other three weren't far behind them and they threw their fists into the air. It was finally time. With their Pokémon chosen, the team finally departed from the stadium and slipped into the only remaining car outside the coliseum. Ash handed the tablet to the driver of the car and he began to wind his way through the streets of Ancien City to get to their destination.

"Let's talk strategy, guys," Clemont said with a flash of his glasses. Serena was surprised at how far Clemont had already begun thinking ahead, and he unsurprisingly whipped out an invention. "I've been watching all our competitors and I created this device based on my 'Track Down Similar Trainers Device' to calculate the probabilities of victories given certain parameters. Judging from these probabilities, I have the perfect battle strategy worked out."

They arrived at their starting position almost right after he said this, all five of the trainers scrambling over to the glowing meteorite that served as a kind of rallying point. Serena was glad that this recognizable spot was their safe spot. Once they were settled, Clemont launched into his strategy for winning the tournament. The plan didn't go without tweaks, mostly from Brock and Gary. Ash seemed confident that they would win even without a strategy, but he agreed that Clemont's plan would significantly increase their chances. Serena just listened and tried to commit it all to memory. They finally finished strategizing mere moments before the final competition was to begin. Yet, instead of preparing to set off, Serena took a seat on a bench in the square.

"Trainers, are you ready?" Aston's voice boomed across the city. Serena looked up and saw that the screens all around the city had illuminated themselves like they had during the preliminaries. "You didn't think our Fletchinder Cams wouldn't be catching every piece of the action, did you?"

"Well, that's nice to know," Ash said, taking a seat next to her on the bench. "Looks like we get to hear some play-by-plays!"

"Both our spectators and participants will be able to catch much of the action on the screens placed in the stadium and around the city. We hope that this ultimately makes for a very exciting tournament. One last time, trainers, good luck." His face then disappeared and was replaced on the screen with various shots of the city, looking practically deserted for the purposes of the tournament.

Serena felt Ash reach down and grab her hand, squeezing it for either comfort or encouragement as the timer on the screen began to tick down. She squeezed it back, and saw her other team members waiting eagerly for that Hyper Beam to fire. Clemont and Brock were standing to the side while Gary leaned casually on the meteorite.  _5…4…3…2...1…_

The Hyper Beam was loud and booming from the coliseum as it shot off. Serena's gaze now shifted to the various screens, which were beginning to show movement. At the same time, Kalas and his fellow commentators began to make their observations.

"Well, here we go for our final day," Kalas began. "It looks like each of the teams has decided on very different strategies for this final day."

"Strategy certainly is an important part of this tournament," Sycamore told the crowd, his voice heard through the various speakers over the town. "I'm not that surprised that Tierno, Trevor and Shauna have all grouped into one three-man cell. They were quite the formidable team during my summer camp, so I'd imagine that working together will certainly result in a win."

"Meanwhile, their other team members, May and Dawn, appear to be traveling solo," Aston observed. All of this was confirmed by what Serena was seeing on the screen. Tierno was leading the trio down the street from what looked like a library, his Blastoise dancing ahead of him. Shauna had called out Ivysaur and Trevor had unsurprisingly called out Charmeleon. On two different screens were Dawn and May. Dawn's Piplup was strutting ahead of his trainer confidently while May and her Blaziken were keeping stride with one another.

"I'm not surprised," Ash said from next to her. "Those two could probably keep pace with me."

"Team Research has certainly done the unexpected," Kalas called out. "Conway has apparently detached from the rest of his team with his Heracross. The rest of his team, meanwhile, has joined together as a single group of four. Each of them appear to be using the same Pokémon that they had in their battles, except for Jessilina, who seems to have swapped her Gourgeist out for a Wobbuffet."

"After the point loss they've had over the last four days, they may think that moving in such a large group will allow them overpower their opponents," Sycamore said. "I'm more interested in Team Trainer."

Serena once more shifted her view to see the three groups that Team Trainer had formed on the field. It wasn't a shock to see the brothers Jael and Kael had formed a group. They, too, were using familiar Pokémon as Jael was still using Breloom, but Kael had swapped out Throh for the Machoke he had used during the obstacle course. On the other side, Bruce and Trent had formed a team with Sawk as the vanguard and Pangoro covering their rear. Sawyer looked like he was alone, and had yet to call out his own Pokémon. He wasn't moving that fast, instead considering his notebook and various strategies that appeared to be written down in it.

"Meanwhile, ze lovely Team Performer has also formed two distinct groups," Pierre said. It was almost a little obvious as to what team he was pulling for. Of course, Serena figured that he knew "Ariana" was Aria and was thus pulling for her to win. Serena didn't have feelings on that either way. "Ariana is leading her group of Miette and Portia, her Delphox taking charge of ze group. Zen we have ze Pokémon Slurpuff and Leafeon joining her. Ze ozzer set of Team Performer, Nini and Alice, are using Dragonair and Smoochum. I look forward to ze coming performances."

"But remember, these are not all about flashy moves and appeals. This is a battle tournament," Kalas reminded the show master. "And the team that seems to understand that the best, Team Brutal, has split into five distinct units."

Serena expected as much. What was a little unexpected was that while the five trainers of Team Brutal had all gone their separate ways, none of them had called their Pokémon yet, like it was meant to be a secret. More than that, somehow, Seamus was nowhere on the screen at all. Ash and Brock appeared to notice this as well, judging from the way that Ash was leaning forward and Brock's body language had changed. Serena blinked a little; never before had she thought she'd ever notice such subtle things like body language. Maybe this tournament had really advanced her skills as a trainer.

"Now…what's this?" Aston asked. Serena automatically knew to what Aston was referring. "Team Ketchum looks like they're just lazing around at their starting position. They haven't even called their Pokémon out."

"Uh…that's odd," Kalas chuckled out nervously. "I mean, they won't get attacked there, but they certainly won't gain any points that way. I wonder what they're waiting for." Serena looked to Ash and the raven-haired trainer smiled at her. The answer to Kalas' question was a simple one in their minds, given Clemont's strategy:  _We're waiting for the time to strike._

"Forget Team Ketchum for the moment!" Sycamore cried out over his companions. "The teams appear to be coming into conflict!"

Serena once more brought her concentration and view back onto the screens to see that Sycamore's words were undoubtedly the truth. The two pairs that consisted of Jael and Kael, along with Nini and Alice had all converged at a single spot by a fountain in a plaza. Judging from the way that Dragonair practically lunged with a powerful Dragon Rush at Machoke, it seemed to be a free battle zone. They weren't the only ones.

"Well, it would appear that Bruce and Trent have stepped into a Timed Battle Zone along with Bethany. As you can see, the number of moves chosen is a whopping twenty!" Kalas proclaimed. "That may seem like a lot, but who knows what can happen in the flow of battle."

"Neizzer of ze trainers appear to be making a move," Pierre commented. Sure enough, the tension between the three trainers about to face off was thick. The only thing that had changed was that Bethany had called out a Cacturne. Twenty moves  _were_  a lot, if one considered that it was that amount for each side; but still, no trainer was making a move.

"Ah, another encounter of teams has happened," Aston remarked. Serena swiveled and found the screen that now had the most remarkable number of trainers on it. The four-man cell of Team Research had come into conflict with Team Performer's group…led by Aria. Serena scooted forward on her seat, ready for what was about to begin. It was this moment that she learned that not only were they being filmed, but there was audio, too!

"Leafeon, use Leaf Storm!" Portia ordered. Her Leafeon leapt into the air and sent a swirling mess of leaves, almost covering the entire screen as they hurtled at the four trainers of Team Research.

"Sigilyph, counter with Air Cutter!" Edwin ordered.

"You use Mirror Coat, Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet leapt in front of the oncoming Leaf Storm, its body glowing with a shiny veneer. The Leaf Storm was somewhat blown away by the thin, crescent blades of air, but what remained slammed into Wobbuffet. That attack was quickly converted into energy that blasted out in an eclipsing beam which struck Leafeon.

"Way to go, Jess!" James cheered. "We can handle that Leafeon! Inkay, use Psybeam."

"All right, I'll leave her to you," Edwin commented, his Sigilyph flying away from the Grass type. Miette stood in his path, Slurpuff looking almost ominous as it blocked his way.

"Guess that leaves me to take  _her_  down," Kenneth commented. He straightened the vest he was wearing as his Magnezone stared down Aria's Delphox. "I am fully aware of your strength. You tied on the second day's battle. Thus, I can conclude that with my strategies and powerful attacks, I will attain victory."

"I look forward to our battle, then," Aria commented sweetly. Even in the face of such pompousness, she was handling it with such grace.

"Magnezone, use Zap Cannon!" Kenneth said, not even bothering with his electromagnetic device. He must have been certain in his victory. Magnezone spun around, creating a yellow orb by its eye, the green center swirling around inside. Then it fired at Aria's unmoving Delphox.

"Delphox, use Mystical Fire." Aria's command was so simple, but the way Delphox executed it drew even Ash's eyes to the screen. Delphox waved its wand in a beautiful arc that created a ring of fire. Then that ring was filled with blazing flame that blasted out, glittering the air with embers and reflecting off the buildings' sides to create a red glow. The attack consumed the Zap Cannon and blasted right over Magnezone.

"Whooooooaaaaaaa!" Kalas screamed, surprised at the intensity of the attack. When the flames finally receded, Magnezone was already down and out. "One hit! It's over in one hit!"

"No! My Magnezone!"

"Aria really is strong," Serena said underneath her breath. Ash heard her and exhaled a little.

"She may be strong, but let's see if she's a match for someone else in the same field as her," Ash commented, pointing to the screen. Serena turned and saw that someone was approaching.

"This looks fun," Dawn said, Piplup striding in front of her confidently. "So, you're one of the top Performers, huh? Care to have an Appeals Battle?" As soon as Dawn stopped walking, a square activated around her and Aria. Two counters appeared on the side of the zone. An Appeal Battle had begun.

"Zese things are heating up," Pierre said, his voice laden with part surprise and part nervousness. Of course, Dawn and Aria's wasn't the only battle that had begun; Sigilyph was currently exchanging Psybeams with Slurpuff's Energy Balls. Team Rocket was busy deflecting Leafeon's attacks with Wobbuffet while Inkay was on the attack. Both looked like veritable stalemates.

"I'll take your challenge. Dawn, right?" Aria said with a smile. "Delphox, Fire Spin. Make a marvelous ring around Piplup!" Delphox waved its wand, and like with all of its species, fire blasted out. This time it swirled like a charming snake, surrounding Piplup on the ground and then blasting upward in ribbons. Serena watched as the counter surrounding Dawn's face decreased.

"Piplup, spin and use Bubblebeam!" Piplup fell onto its back and spun around. From its beak, multiple bubbles floated outward, spinning around like a halo. The attack connected with the whirling Fire Spin and made the attack vanish into a haze of steam that concealed Piplup. Aria's counter went down next.

"So, they lose points for attacks connected and whether their opponents look good?" Serena asked Ash.

"Pretty much," Ash commented. His leg was shaking. It was clear that he was getting antsy just sitting around. Even as she asked her question, Serena's sight never once left the screen.

"Now, use your spin to propel yourself into a Drill Peck!"

"Pip Piplup!" Piplup cried and he suddenly blasted a hole in the wall of steam, spinning like a sharp top that was aiming for Delphox. The Penguin Pokémon was moving so fast that it collided with Delphox and drove the Fire type backwards. Aria's counter dropped further.

"Fire Blast, Delphox!" Aria called out, making her signature hand movement. Piplup was flying back from its finished attack as Delphox made its own attack. Unlike her own Braixen, Delphox's Fire Blast was much larger, thus covering a wider area. It looked like a spinning wheel that was going straight for Piplup at an incredible speed.

"Piplup, use Hydro Pump at the air to get to the ground!" Piplup opened its beak once more and sent a jet of water out as quickly as Fire Blast was approaching. It was like a fountain of water that caused Piplup to hit the ground from the opposite direction of force. Seconds later, Fire Blast collided with the Hydro Pump, exploding in a firework of embers and rainbows, the heated mist falling softly.

Aria's counter was once more the one to go down. This was looking tricky, and far more complicated than performances were; trainers could also lose points by missing attacks? Still, Aria hadn't made Kalos Queen by giving up. "Use Flamethrower."

"Phox!" Delphox said sternly. With another wave of its wand, the flame shot out like Piplup's Hydro Pump did. There were no fancy designs, just a straight up torrent of flame that consumed Piplup, who crossed his arms to defend himself.

"No need to worry, Piplup! Use Hydro Pump!" Piplup complied, using the gushing water to push away the burning flames. Delphox finished its attack as mist and steam once more filled the area, concealing both Pokémon from each other's sights.

"Use Fire Spin and clear away that mist, quick." Delphox twirled around, this time the flames surrounding the Pokémon's body instead before shooting out and causing the steam to dissipate. Dawn appeared ready for this.

"Use Drill Peck!" Piplup once more began to spin before leaping upward, its momentum carrying it quickly forward "And Ice Beam!" The blue bursts of energy around Piplup were accented by its spinning and the little blue Pokémon looked like it was encasing its own self in ice. Serena couldn't see what she was going for, but she couldn't take her eyes away. The ice was creating spots in the ground that sprouted like frozen flowers. Then Piplup hit Delphox, and the ice broke. Aria's counter was almost depleted now, and a spot of ice had appeared on Delphox's chest. It wasn't quite frozen, but the battle was not looking favorable.

"Delphox, burn it off."

"No time! Piplup, use your Mega Bubblebeam!" Dawn said, putting two fingers out like a peace sign. Piplup, who was skidding along the ground, opened his beak wide, but instead of a stream of bubbles coming out, it formed into one giant bubble that Piplup fired out. The bubble was so fast, powerful and clear (to the point that Serena could see straight through it, albeit in a distorted view) that it was mesmerizing, reminding her of Goodra using Bide. Delphox was struck by the Mega Bubblebeam and was tossed backward. Aria's Pokémon wasn't knocked out, but the battle was over nevertheless. Aria's counter was empty.

"The battle is over!" Kalas announced. "Dawn has won this battle of appeals over Ariana, earning her team one point while depleting Team Performer by one point. Also, Edwin's Sigilyph seems to have succumbed to the power of Miette's Slurpuff, leaving Team Research in a very bad position."

"Well, don't forget about us!" James yelled at him. "Inkay, use Psybeam on Wobbuffet!"

"And Wobbuffet, reflect that attack on Leafeon with Mirror Coat!" Inkay spun upside down and fired its multicolored beam at Wobbuffet. It was Portia's unfortunate luck that her Leafeon's final Leaf Storm happened to hit Wobbuffet at the same time. The Patient Pokémon took it.

"Wobbuffet!" he called out cheerfully, saluting with his arm, as the Mirror Coat reflected the damage that consumed Leafeon in a bright light and left it knocked out on the ground. Jessie laughed loudly while James gave her and Wobbuffet a thumbs up.

Serena and the rest of Team Ketchum finally stood. On the screen above, the current point totals were displayed.

TEAM KETCHUM 28

TEAM TRAINER 23

TEAM BRUTAL 23

TEAM COORDINATOR 22

TEAM PERFORMER 16

TEAM RESEARCH 11

"Good luck, Serena," Ash said, letting go of her hand as he began to head towards his exit from the square.

"You, too. Remember the strategy, and we'll meet up at the end," she said. Ash nodded and he ran off. Serena ran in the opposite direction and down the road. Clemont's instructions began to echo in her head as she tossed her pokeball out, calling forth Braixen. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Luxray, Electivire, Greninja and Chansey emerge.

_We'll set off when the leader of a team goes down._

_A leader?_

_Yep. Aria, Seamus, Conway, May, and Sawyer are our biggest competition. Once one of them go down, we have a higher probability for winning. So, we stay in our safe zone until then._

_Let's keep in contact, too. Use a move to let us know who is where._

Serena smiled. She wasn't alone, and she and Braixen would bring their team to victory.

"I almost can't believe my eyes," Kalas screamed. "Team Ketchum is on the move."

_Let's win it all!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The final day begins! Again, it probably seems similar to the GMGs, but I'd like to think I varied it by including a different point system and the different types of battle. This day will be a bit longer due to all the characters taking part along with the types of battles ensuing, but I don't plan on slowing my pacing. Now, for the first part of this chapter: Ash is having realizations, but he's not quite at the point of understanding things fully yet. How will this final day change things? You'll just have to see. Rest assured that it is exciting.
> 
> Now, I don't normally respond to guest reviews, but one in particular prompted my attention here regarding last chapter's use of Static in the final tag battle. So, I need to address it. First, we need to note that Static works slightly different in the anime, where if contact is made, Static can activate, or so I've seen. If I'm wrong, fine, but in either case, Pikachu was hit by a contact move from Feraligatr: Ice Fang. When Pikachu rescued Bunnelby from the attack, he was slightly hit by Ice Fang, and that small contact is enough. Case in point: my strategies there were not flawed in that instance.
> 
> Every encouraging word of advice, or constructive criticism helps me to build a better story. So, until the next chapter, Review, and Dare to Be Silly.


	14. An Effort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always want story cover images for my story, but I'm never able to find them…or get someone to make them, since I suck at it. If anyone can offer their potential drawing skills, I'd be forever grateful! Oh well, Chapter 14 time!

Chapter 14

An Effort

Clemont was on the move, though he wasn't exactly having an easy time of it. Being far less athletically inclined than the rest of his teammates and even his sister, Clemont was huffing and puffing the whole way, driven on only by the prospect of winning the tournament. Thankfully, all of that was worked into their strategy for the tournament. Next to him, Luxray was dashing at a very easy clip, occasionally sending short bursts of Discharge into the air.

Sure, it might have alerted his enemies to where he was, but it also gave his other teammates a chance to know he was still in the fight. Similar spouts of electricity, flame, water, and even an egg were fired off periodically. On the screens that ran along the street Clemont was attempting to run down, Clemont could hears the cheers of the coliseum juxtaposed with the sounds of battle that had begun between Bethany of Team Brutal and Bruce and Trent of Team Trainer. So far, they had only exchanged a list of five moves.

That was clearly about to change.

"Chansey, use Egg Bomb!" Clemont nearly stopped in his tracks at the sound of Brock's voice on the monitor. How fast was he? Clemont had planned it that he would be going after the closest group on the monitors, but somehow, Brock had already managed to find a different group. That led to only a few conclusions: Brock was fast, Clemont's calculations were off and that group was actually closer, or Clemont was really, really slow. He was willing to bank on the latter.

"Brock has joined the party, making this a three-way battle!" Kalas roared out, his own voice indicating how excited he was to everyone.

"How will this affect the timed battle segment?" Sycamore was asking. Clemont started up again, but kept an ear open for the information. Any piece of knowledge was important for learning strategies and defeating their opponents. Just like switching Pokémon out, in a brawl like this, a trainer had to know when to fight and when to retreat.

"Since the Time Battle Zone was only activated by Bethany and Bruce and Trent, they are the only trainers subject to its rules. Remember that only a Locked Battle Zone can't be interfered with completely," Aston explained.

"In ozzer words, zis Brock is able to do as he pleases, while ze ozzer trainers must be mindful of zere moves," Pierre confirmed. Aston made a small noise in his throat to indicate that he was right. That was interesting to Clemont: only those who activated the zone had to be wary of its rules…which meant that if he walked into an already started battle, it was a free-for-all. Up ahead, the sounds of battle came closer.

"Get ready, Luxray," Clemont said sternly to his faithful Pokémon. Luxray grunted and slowed a bit, padding forward on his feet. The blond trainer and his Pokémon stopped on the edge of a plaza and peered into it. He had arrived at the square off between Team Rocket and Miette. Dawn had already retreated to who knows where, and Clemont could admit to feeling a little grateful. He didn't want to face a trainer as skilled as her this early. He figured he might win, but it would take too long and exhaust him before the real battles.

"Slurpuff, use Psychic!" Miette ordered. As Inkay was a Dark type, he was able to stay floating in the air without repercussion. Wobbuffet wasn't as lucky. He started floating up in the air, helpless to the bout of Psychic's blue aura that was gripping it.

"Wobba wobba!" he cried out, flailing his arms rather comically.

"Wobbuffet, hurry up and do something!" Jessie cried out loudly. James stepped forward and took the initiative.

"Inkay, use Psybeam!" Inkay floated forward and fired out its Psybeam. Being in the middle of Psychic, Slurpuff didn't move and was pushed back by the attack. Miette wasn't quite done with her assault. Clemont looked down at Luxray.

"Let's hang back for a moment," he told his Pokémon quietly. Luxray nodded, giving Clemont a chance to look up in the sky. Serena was still firing off her bursts of flame and Gary was responding equally. Brock was still visible on the screen…but Clemont could no longer see Ash's water bursts. Had he gotten into a battle? Judging from the face-offs on the screen, that wasn't possible. Clemont just sighed. "Of course Ash forgot to signal us where he is…Well, I'm sure we'll all know sooner or later."

"Slurpuff, Cotton Spore on Wobbuffet," Miette ordered with a snap of her fingers, as if the command was so simple. Clemont went and looked to see Slurpuff sending out the balls of cotton that surrounded Wobbuffet. The poor Pokémon was flailing around on the fluff, unable to do much since it wasn't exactly an attacking move. "Now, finish with Energy Ball!"

"Quick, Wobbuffet, you need to counter-" Jessie's command was way too late as Slurpuff's tongue lolled out before firing the green spheres from its mouth in quick succession. Clemont almost likened it to a gatling of green spheres that battered Wobbuffet's immobile body and caused the Cotton Spore to poof all over the place, painting the area in dandelion fuzz.

"Wobbuffet is out!" Kalas yelled over the monitors. "Team Performer takes a point while Team Research seems to be hurting."

"Now, let's take care of Inkay," Miette said confidently, a little smirk on her face. Clemont looked down at Luxray and nodded confidently. His faithful Pokémon returned the nod. Time to move.

"James, you better win this!" Jessie yelled, holding the fainted Wobbuffet up who was still swaying back and forth.

"You bet, Jess!" James said confidently. "Now, Inkay, use Tackle!"

"Luxray, use Swift!" Luxray bounded out of the street and into the plaza, leaping into the air at the same time. He whipped his tail around and shining stars erupted outward, slamming into the pair of Slurpuff and Inkay. Miette was taken aback. So was James, but he seemed to hide it better.

"Inkay, use Foul Play on the smart twerp's Pokémon!" Inkay changed direction from sailing at Slurpuff and started hurtling at Luxray, it's flexible arms aiming for the Electric type.

"Wait for it, Luxray," Clemont ordered, stepping out into view. Luxray hunched down on its hindquarters, waiting for the Revolving Pokémon to get closer. Once it's arms were about to reach Luxray, both trainer and Pokémon knew it was the time to strike. "Thunder Fang!"

"Ray!" Luxray roared loudly, it's fangs buzzing with electricity as it chomped down on Inkay. Poor Inkay struggled to get free but was continually electrocuted. When Luxray let go, Inkay was twitching, its body clearly affected by paralysis.

"Don't let Luxray get you, Slurpuff. Psychic," Miette said. Slurpuff's eyes glowed blue and Clemont realized he had the one opportunity to strike. It was risky, but he figured that if the move would do its job, he and Luxray would be fine.

"Wild Charge!" Luxray leapt forward, its body surrounded by crackling electricity that blasted backwards, scorching the street of Ancien City and kicking up the tiles. Slurpuff's blue eyes faded away as it looked at the display of raw power that Luxray was giving off. Even Miette seemed genuinely surprised. Inkay wasn't in much of a state to be surprised when Luxray slammed into the pair of them, with Jessie somewhere in the crossfire. The electricity blasted outward, almost sending out another signal before Luxray bounced back, the convulsions of the recoil consuming its body.

Slurpuff was down and out, having already taken more than enough damage from the previous battles. Then there was Team Rocket.

"I can't believe we're going like this!" Jessie screeched.

"Oh well," James lamented, shrugging as they flew through the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" And just like that they were gone, though Clemont had to wonder where Meowth was.

"Well, only one member from Team Research remains in Conway, while Clemont has earned Team Ketchum two points very quickly. Bad luck for Team Performer as well." Clemont looked over at Luxray, who assured him that he was okay. Then he approached the blue-haired Performer that was holding Slurpuff with a resigned expression.

"Your Slurpuff's okay, right?" Clemont asked of her.

"Yeah," Miette assured him. Clemont felt positive about that and he looked around the plaza to see both Portia and Aria sitting with their own defeated Pokémon. "So, where's Serena in all this? I was hoping to face off with her, but obviously that isn't going to happen."

"I'm not sure," Clemont told her, turning his gaze again to the sky as he saw another burst of electricity and fire. Obviously Serena was following a winding path towards the plaza before Ancien Castle. He didn't see fit to tell Miette this as the battle on one of the screens had pulled his attention.

"Cacturne, use Flash!" Bethany said confidently.

"Chansey, look away and close your eyes!" Brock ordered. Chansey did as her trainer ordered her, closing her eyes just as a bright light suddenly eclipsed the screen. Sawk and Pangoro were reeling in a dazed fashion and Clemont noticed that the timer was down to one, meaning that it was a do or die for either trainer before their timed battle was to end.

"Sucker Punch," came the simple command from Bethany. Cacturne's fist was glowing a blackish purple and it rushed forward. Sawk was the first to recover, blinking rapidly to recover from the sudden burst of Flash. It didn't recover fast enough as Cacturne's Sucker Punch hit it in the face and pushed it into its partner. Cacturne's attacks didn't let up, either, consistently smacking both Pokémon as they were up against each other. The counter dropped to zero.

"The winner of the timed battle is Cacturne and Bethany!" a referee called over the announcement system.

"You heard the man!" Kalas said enthusiastically. "Team Brutal takes two points while Team Trainer loses its first trainers in this final day's brawl!"

"Yes, but despite Bethany's victory, Cacturne is still looking tired from that timed battle against two Pokémon, and it still has to deal with Brock's Chansey," Aston pointed out. "This battle is far from over."

"Chansey, Secret Power," Brock said. Chansey bounced forward a little and a pink aura glowed outward from her body. That pink aura became a sphere, expanding ever outward until the still fatigued Cacturne was hit by the attack, throwing it backwards.

"Cacturne, use Flash, quick!" Cacturne's body lit up and the bright light burst forth again. Chansey was unable to close its eyes in time and even Clemont and the other spectators in the plaza couldn't look away even if their eyes shut, feeling the blinding light on their own end. When it finally did recede, Clemont opened his eyes to look back at the screen and felt as surprised as the commentators on the other end.

"Um…it seems that Bethany and her Cacturne have disappeared…" Harry said confusedly.

"A smart strategy. She obviously felt that Cacturne wouldn't be a match for Brock's Chansey and needed to retreat," Sycamore pointed out. Brock appeared to come to the same conclusion because he didn't stay there long and it reminded Clemont that he needed to get moving as soon as possible. He gave one last look over the remnants of Team Performer in the plaza. Aria offered him an encouraging nod.

"Tell Serena to do her best and win," Miette said. Clemont blinked and nodded. This was the way that rivals should have been: encouraging each other instead of resenting their loss. That was something Team Brutal didn't seem to get, but Clemont did.

"Let's go, Luxray!" Clemont said and he began huffing and puffing down another street. Ancien City was far too large for his tastes. The day was far from over, even if it was almost lunchtime. Maybe Ash had taken a break for lunch?

Thinking of, Clemont's own stomach was starting to get hungry, gurgling with the feeling. Luxray didn't share the same kind of feeling considering he was staring consciously ahead, ever alert for signs of movement. That was a positive sign, since it meant that Luxray wasn't too affected by its use of Wild Charge. A few plazas later and Clemont had yet to run into anyone else, so he darted into a nearby alleyway.

"Keep watch with your X-Ray vision, Luxray, I need to recharge myself," Clemont said. Luxray offered a grunt of acknowledgement and he took a seat on a trash can in the area, pulling out a nice sandwich Brock had prepared for them all that morning. Clemont had watched him make it, picking up plenty of cooking tips for the journey ahead. "You know, Luxray, this tournament was a great suggestion from Serena."

"Lux?" Luxray asked, not once stopping his vigilant watch.

"I feel like I've grown a little," Clemont said. He sat back as he chewed on his sandwich a little, staring up at the sun blaring overhead. He remembered reading that there would be a new moon that night, which meant the stars would probably be really nice. He'd have to watch them with Bonnie after winning the tournament. "I don't know why, but I feel like I've made a real contribution, and I've learned a lot. Gary showed the same kind of conviction as Ash, and Brock really is like an older brother.

"I've always been the older one for Bonnie, so being treated like a younger one for a moment was nice. He's taught me a lot just by watching him. That's the kind of brother I want to be. I want to help Bonnie learn and grow and I want to protect her, you know? And for Ash, he's like my best friend. I've never seen him shine brighter than during this tournament. He's something."

"Luxray," Luxray agreed. This time he turned his head, though it didn't seem like anyone else was near to them.

"Let's win this, Luxray, and continue to grow together," Clemont said proudly. Luxray could obviously sense that Clemont meant all of these words from the bottom of his heart because he smiled a little, although it looked a little creepy with his fangs. Clemont finished off the sandwich, ready to go forward and win the tournament.  _If only I could learn to run faster_ , Clemont admitted to himself as he set off again.

"It appears that other than the double tag battle between Jael and Kael against Nini and Alice, the other trainers are wandering the city without anyone coming into conflict," Kalas said, his own mouth full of food as the commentators were taking a very clear lunch break. Clemont had to agree with that; the number of trainers remaining was practically staggering. More importantly, though, was that other than Aria, none of the other team leaders seemed to have fallen. Clemont was right in choosing them for those positions. Of course, it was also easy to tell who their leader was, but he currently seemed to be missing.

"Come on, Ash…we agreed to keep in contact," Clemont said under his breath, turning onto another street. Still there was noone near him.

"Speaking of zis tag battle, it would appear both sides are razzer tired," Pierre commented. The observation drew Clemont's vision to the screens where it was showing the only battle that was currently being waged. For a free battle, it was looking like a stalemate. The gears in Clemont's head began to turn and he started thinking about going over there to nab some points for their team.

As luck would have it, that thought was dashed in the next moment.

"Leaf Tornado," called an all too familiar voice from the battle yesterday.

"Travis has entered the field, and at quite the opportune time!" Kalas said. Clemont agreed with him wholeheartedly. He had to wonder if Travis had been waiting in the shadows the entire time, hoping for the two teams to tire themselves out before striking with impunity. As it were now, his Serperior was on the field, spinning its tail quickly as a tornado of leaves erupted in the middle of the battle. All four Pokémon were whipped around by it, flying up into the mess of leaves that was whipped around in a gale.

"Giga Drain!" Serperior let its Leaf Tornado come to an end and it slithered along the ground silently, weaving between the broken road tiles to its falling opponents. Clemont watched the reaction of Travis and noticed that he was emotionless in all of his replies. It was strange for the previously arrogant trainer to be acting this way. It made the blond inventor worry about his true intentions for this final round. At this moment, Serperior had dragged all four of the other Pokémon into its tail and it wrapped them close snugly. All four cried out in pain as their energy was sucked dry from them.

Clemont was almost horrified by the scene, even if it wasn't unexpected. Serperior was obviously just as challenging a foe as Feraligatr, and from the way it downed four (admittedly exhausted) Pokémon at once was both shrewd and powerful. He was not an opponent Clemont wanted to run into again yet.

"And with two attacks, Travis has earned Team Brutal a whopping four points. Now we can only ask what Christopher and Seamus of the same team are up to," Kalas said. "The Fletchinder Cams don't seem to have been picking them up recently."

"The same could be said of Ash Ketchum," Aston pointed out. "Ever since Team Ketchum set off, he's the only one that hasn't been caught on the monitors."

"Please tell us you're okay, Ash," Clemont sighed quietly. On another one of the monitors was the scoreboard, revised.

TEAM KETCHUM 30

TEAM BRUTAL 29

TEAM COORDINATOR 22

TEAM TRAINER 19

TEAM RESEARCH 9

TEAM PERFORMER 13 (X)

Though Kalas hadn't announced it, Team Performer was already taken out of the tournament while both Team Trainer and Team Research were down to single trainers in their teams, although it  _was_  their leaders. Most importantly was how quickly that Team Brutal had closed the gap on them. Travis and Bethany were both forces to be reckoned with. Still, Clemont was not giving up. He'd see their team through to the end and earn their team as many points as they could.

 _Be safe, everyone_ , he thought as he and Luxray attempted to pick up the pace down another street.

* * *

Serena clasped her hand over her mouth, careful to not let a sound escape it. Braixen was just as silent, flattening herself against the wall they were crouching near, attempting to not be seen. As she swallowed the lump in her throat, the honey-blonde Performer began to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have come this way. The reason for it was obvious when she looked into the final plaza before the path to Ancien Castle: Conway and Rocky were standing there, both of their Pokémon facing off against one another.

Not that she could interfere. As it turned out, the two trainers had stepped into a Locked Battle Zone, but she really didn't want the winner (and she had a guess as to who it would turn out to be) to attack her as soon as the battle was over. Per their strategy, Serena knew that she was no match for the powerful Rocky and the Rhyperior that was the strength behind him. It wasn't like Serena was a coward, however; she just knew these kinds of battles were best suited to powerhouses like Ash and Gary. There were still other opponents that she could take on. All she could do for now was watch.

"Rock Wrecker," Rocky ordered. Rhyperior took a stampeding step forward, shaking the area nearby and Serena closed her hands tighter around her mouth. She did, however, peek around the corner to watch the battle without being caught. In Rhyperior's hands that massive rock was forming, shining with a powerful, pulsing red glow. The Ground type then threw the rock at Conway and his Pokémon.

"Dodge it," Conway said. He was, as always, adjusting his glasses as he took a step to the side. Heracross flitted to the side, taking advantage of its wings as the rock slammed into the surface of the ground, making impacts as it bounced across the plaza. For the town being protected from attacks, Rhyperior's seemed to be powerful enough to break through that. "Let's use Megahorn."

"Cross!" Heracross acknowledged. Its horn glowed white and with its wings, Heracross jetted forward, straight for Rhyperior's very exposed belly. The larger Pokémon stood there, not moving a muscle until its trainer ordered it to. Heracross drew in quicker and just before Megahorn was going to collide, Rocky issued his command.

"Stone Edge, now!"

"Perior!" Rhyperior roared, raising its arms above its head. Large stones surrounded Rhyperior and began to whirl around like a shield. Heracross stopped short and pulled back, careful not to get hit by the spinning stones. Just when it gained enough distance, Rhyperior sent the stones flying at Heracross.

"Use Close Combat and beat them back at Rhyperior," Conway said. Heracross stood its ground as the stones came closer. When they were finally at a close range, Heracross punched outward and beat one of the stones back. It wasn't done, either. With every subsequent stone that approached, Heracross would either punch or kick at the stones. Some of them were victims of the Pokémon's horn being used to toss the stone backward. It appeared Conway's strategy was successful, however, as the majority of the stones went flying back at Rhyperior. Although a number of them collided with other incoming stones and dropped to the ground, many of them were still on their way to Rhyperior.

"Use Protect!" Rhyperior's hands fell down, now being held in front of its body. A green shield protruded outwards and Conway began to chuckle menacingly.

"Feint."

"What? That thing knows…" Rocky expressed in surprise. Heracross once more flew forward with its wings. Any remaining stones in the air had fallen to the ground at Rhyperior's use of Protect, allowing Heracross a clear line to its opponent. Once more, its horn was glowing white, although to Serena it now seemed like  _all_  of it was white, and not just the end. Heracross finally impacted with the Protect and Serena watched in awe as the indestructible shield broke to pieces and Heracross sliced upward with its horn, forcing Rhyperior, ever immovable, to take a step back.

"Hammer Arm, quick!" Rhyperior regained its balance, reared back and slammed its arm downward, glowing red. Heracross didn't even need its trainer's command to know to dodge it. With a flitter of its wings, Heracross was able to leap to the side as the powerful move slammed into a ground. As it struck, a shockwave rippled outward, tossing dust into the air with it that practically blocked Serena's view of the two of them. "Rock it again!"

"Megahorn!" Heracross soared out of the dust aiming right for the once more descending arm. The two attacks collided with one another, causing red sparks to jump out, a crackling of energy forming where the two were meeting. "Now, into Close Combat."

"Hera!" Heracross acknowledged as its body flipped, allowing its foot to slam into Rhyperior's stomach. The Rock type Pokémon recoiled as Heracross now struck forward with its fists and finished off with its horn driving into Rhyperior. The Pokémon toppled over and Conway adjusted his glasses in seeming victory. At least, he did until Rhyperior stood up. Conway appeared to blink and then waved his arm as if to tell Heracross to do it again.

"Protect," Rocky said. Rhyperior held its arms in front of itself and Conway chuckled loudly.

"You never learn. Feint." Serena had an unfortunate feeling that Rocky, however,  _had_  learned. At least, judging from the smirk on his face. Heracross was close now, its horn glowing white again, and just before it struck the shield, Rhyperior dropped it.

"Stone Edge!" Unlike the first time, Heracross was unable to avoid the stones whirling around Rhyperior like a shield. Each of the stones battered Heracross' body as they revolved around the larger Pokémon. Serena turned away. She didn't need to watch to know what was coming next. And when Rocky ordered a Hammer Arm followed by a Rock Wrecker, she was glad she hadn't. She certainly felt it, though, shuddering through the city like an earthquake.

"Conway is out!" Kalas' voice cried out over the monitors. With that, two teams have been taken out of the competition leaving only the top four!"

"Return for now, Rhyperior. Let's find more opponents to wreck." Even though he was quite a distance away, Serena still felt she could hear and feel his footsteps retreating. Her hand back over her mouth, she tried to not even breathe. She even gave an insistent look to Braixen who nodded furtively. When she took a peek around the corner, it was to find that Rocky had at last disappeared. It was now safe to enter the plaza.

"Is Heracross okay?" she asked kindly. Conway looked up from where he was kneeling over Heracross. "Sorry, I just…"

"He's fine. Thank you," Conway said with a gracious nod. He then dug into his pocket and took out a Sitrus Berry. It wasn't much to the hurting Pokémon, but from the way it attempted to give its trainer a small hug, it showed that it appreciated it. Serena smiled a little; no matter the team, it was nice to see a trainer with compassion for their Pokémon. The same could not be said for Rhyperior. "Watch out for that one. Even with my strategies, he still overpowered me."

"Heh heh…yeah…" Serena laughed out nervously, her gaze turning towards the sky. It was now well after lunchtime and she had yet to see hide nor hair of another trainer until now, and even less of the shots of water that were supposed to show where Ash was. She was beginning to worry about him.

That worry was driven away by what appeared on the monitors next.

"It looks like we have a battle set to begin in City Hall," Aston said. At his words coming out of the speakers, Serena turned to one of the larger monitors in the plaza where a shot of the interior of City Hall was projected. She caught sight of the mural and the various other artifacts that had been there two nights ago, and she watched as the familiar head of green hair that was Sawyer walked in, his eyes darting around. At first, she couldn't figure out how that meant a battle was going to start, until she saw someone else approaching Sawyer from the opposite direction.

It was May.

"Well, looks like we've got a different kind of battle setup with May against Sawyer," Kalas announced to the crowd.

"Her Blaziken was quite powerful on the first day. It makes me wonder if she plans on using it again," Sycamore commented as both trainers went for their pokeballs. At the moment that they did so, the field around them began to shine and a strange haze was puffed outward for an instant. Serena felt her brow furrowing, wondering what it was. Aston sated that curiosity.

"Ah, looks like we have our first Inverted Battle on the field, which, as said, reverses all type matchups," he told everyone (including the participants, it seemed). Braixen had turned her own head and looked up at the screen with her partner as the two decided to watch the battle. It was likely that whoever came out of this battle as the victor would be someone Serena would have to face in the future.

"You're Sawyer, right? Sorry I haven't gotten the chance to speak with a Hoenn native like myself in this tournament," May said, tossing her pokeball up and down in the air. Sawyer was just gripping his own, with that trusty notebook in his other hand.

"You're from Hoenn, too! That's so cool!" Sawyer said with a smile. "You must be one of Ash's friends, huh?"

"I am," May told him. From her body language, it was obvious to Serena that she would have shaken his hand if they weren't preparing for a battle. "So, why don't we battle and see who gets to face him in this tournament?"

"Sounds great. Let's go, Sceptile!"

"On stage, Blaziken!" Serena's eyes narrowed. After seeing Blaziken's performance on day one, she was almost sure that May would come out the victor, no matter how much Sawyer had improved. Either way, it would probably be a close battle.

"I wouldn't be too sure of who's going to win," Conway said. When Serena looked at him, she could see that he was standing now, having recalled his downed Heracross. "It's an Inverted Battle, and unless they figure out the rules fast, no power in the world will do them good."

"Blaziken, move in quick with your Blaze Kick," May ordered, a brilliant smile on her face. "And put some spin into it!"

"Blaze!" Blaziken replied with as it leapt onto one leg. It then vaulted forward, its leg wreathed in flames. As it began to spin its leg, May seemed to tighten her bandanna, just before the fast attack struck Sceptile in the stomach. Smoke surrounded the pair before Blaziken leapt back. When he did, however, Sceptile was blinking slightly, as though the attack hadn't affected him at all.

"Sceptile, let's use Dragon Pulse," Sawyer commanded. Sceptile didn't move from his spot, but opened his mouth and let the purple beam shoot out and over to his opponent. Said attack hit Blaziken, who crossed his arms to defend against the brunt of the attack.

"We need to buy some time, so use Fire Spin around you," May said. She looked a little rattled by how little her attack had done to Sceptile, but Serena admired the way she was still able to take charge of the situation and not let her Pokémon down. Blaziken, having barely recovered from the Dragon Pulse, angled its head downward and let loose a torrent of flame. It spun on its feet until the flames were raging around its body like a raging column that no one could see through.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm!" Sceptile turned around at its trainer's command, its tail glowing before letting loose a wild mess of leaves, sharp as blades. Those leaves blew out with the wind that was being generated by the attack. Somehow, Serena thought that they might be able to cut through the flames, but that theory was disproven when they burned into a crisp the moment they touched said flames.

"Oh, well, that's handy. Sky Uppercut!" Blaziken emerged from the flames, some of the embers still clinging to his body as he closed the distance between himself and Sceptile. Sceptile had just turned back around to face his opponent once more when Blaziken's fist made contact with his head. The Forest Pokémon flew back and upwards, aiming towards the ceiling of City Hall.

"Bounce off it and use Leaf Blade!" Sceptile twisted in midair to get into a good position. Serena's eyes widened as she saw Sceptile's tail strike against the ceiling; it was just like the move Ash had used with Pikachu the day prior. Sceptile sprung forward, the green blades protruding from his arms.

"Counter with Blaze Kick!" Blaziken kicked upward, just in time for its flaming foot to make explosive contact with Sceptile's Leaf Blade. The colliding attacks sent a shudder through the building, it seemed, as the glass cases rattled. It was unclear who was going to have the upper hand, until Blaziken's foot slipped a little. Sceptile sliced upward and Blaziken cried out before Sceptile rammed into Blaziken's chest with its blade. The Blaze Pokémon fell, colliding into the ground.

"Great job, Sceptile!"

"Don't let them get another hit in, Blaziken. Use Fire Spin, quickly." Blaziken managed to stand and sent the whirling flames out, this time aimed directly for its opponent. Sceptile was falling now, and the flames barely missed him.

"Hit it with a Bullet Seed."

"Tile!" Sceptile screeched, opening its maw again to fire the tiny seeds in rapid succession at Blaziken. Given that the Fire type's moves were still going, making it unable to dodge, the Bullet Seed slammed into Blaziken and forced him to drop to one knee, ending the attack.

Despite the massive damage done, May didn't look concerned. Instead, she looked as determined as Ash did in the final rounds of a gym battle. She had finally figured out how Inverse Battles worked. Serena felt that she had as well. Fire attacks were now useless against Sceptile, while the Forest Pokémon could simply strike at Blaziken with nary a worry. It was certainly a different kind of battle, and Serena now understood why Conway had warned her about making foregone conclusions.

"Overheat," May called out. Blaziken rose to its feet again and this time sent another gush of flames. Only this was no ordinary gush of flames: it was ridiculously large. Despite its power potentially being nothing in the case of an Inverted Battle, the attack still exploded upon contact with Sceptile while May ordered Blaziken to move forward.

"Leaf Storm!" In the midst of the roaring flames that were consuming Sceptile, for the moment, came the rush of wind and leaves that sailed outwards, blowing like a hurricane. Blaziken pushed forward, its flaming leg shooting out once more. Serena finally understood May's strategy: if fire itself wouldn't work, she'd just have to overpower Sceptile in another way. Quantity over quality, it would seem. However, even the mighty Blaze Pokémon was no match for the raging wind and the flames on its leg went out, driving it upwards into the air. To the viewer's eye, it was a complete role reversal from the first exchange of attacks. "Now, use Leaf Blade!"

"Get yourself into a better position by using Overheat on the ceiling and spinning!" May ordered, her hand flying outward. Blaziken turned its head, blasting at the ceiling with another Overheat, but it looked weaker than it had last time. Not that it was like some puny flame, but it didn't carry the same kind of power. Blaziken's blast hit the ceiling and gave him the momentum as he spun in midair, now aiming right for Sceptile at rapid speed. "Sky Uppercut!"

"Blaziken!" the Pokémon cried out, it's glowing fist aiming right for the Leaf Blade. This time there was no explosion, just a locking of fists and blades as Blaziken was suspended in midair. Sceptile was holding its own too, but Serena realized that between these two moves, the Inverted Battle rules hardly applied because they weren't mismatched attacks. And Blaziken was gaining ground.

"Ah, use Bullet Seed!" Sawyer ordered. Sceptile opened its mouth. At the same exact moment, May threw out another command for a Fire Spin and Blaziken mimicked Sceptile. The two attacks collided, blasting the two combatants backward and skidding along the ground. Blaziken kept its Fire Spin up, obviously using it as a rotating shield of flame. "Now Dragon Pulse!"

"Sceptile tile!" the Grass type acknowledged. Ceasing its Bullet Seed, the glowing green projectiles transformed into that purple beam that shot towards Blaziken. Fire Spin wasn't enough to save it as the attack cut through the flames like soft butter and slammed Blaziken backwards. Sceptile began running forward, the green blades protruding once again until it got close enough to its opponent. Then, Sceptile slashed upward, and to the side, and down before running right past Blaziken before it could even blink, green gashes appearing on Blaziken's chest where it had struck before the Fire type fell to the floor.

"Blaziken is down!" Kalas yelled out. "Sawyer takes a point for his team while Team Coordinator has lost one of theirs. Team Coordinator now has only four members left!"

"We still have all five, assuming everyone's okay," Serena said to Braixen who smiled back at her. "We might be able to-"

"Vine Whip!" Serena heard the command well before she saw it executed. She leapt backward, and Braixen copied her movements just as the vine impacted with the ground where they had been standing. Some of the tiles flew about and Serena's heart was beating quickly. She knew she shouldn't have stopped to watch that battle. "Nice dodge, Serena."

"Shauna, I'm not surprised you tried to find me," Serena commented as her rival stepped into view, Ivysaur at her feet. She was wearing a confident smile, even though the type matchup was certainly not in her favor. Serena reached upward, tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear as she surveyed Shauna. Something was off. Sure, there was no shock at the brunette wanting to face off against her rival, but she was just a little  _too_  confident. "Braixen, stay close."

"Brai," the Fire type responded, drawing closer to her trainer.

"Can you make a Fire Blast on the ground that fills the plaza?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth. Shauna was taking a step forward but still not making a move, like she was waiting for something. Braixen gave a very small nod of her head. In response, Serena sucked in a breath and then nodded her own head. Braixen whipped her wand out and twirled it around before slamming it onto the plaza tiles. The five pronged wheel of fire spread out like a scorching maze across all corners of the area. Serena closed her eyes for a second, and finally opened them when she heard what she expected.

"Ouch, that's hot!" yelled Tierno's voice from another corner of the plaza. "Put it out, Blastoise!"

"Thanks for blocking it, Charmeleon," Trevor's voice emerged from yet another corner. Serena frowned; she was surrounded by the three of them. Most notable was Tierno who seemed to have had his butt lit on fire and was now cooling it down with Blastoise's water. Shauna sighed audibly.

"Why did you guys wait so long to attack?" she asked. Neither of the boys could give her a straight answer, but did give her a rather sheepish look. "Never mind. Sorry to triple team you, Serena, but we're taking that point from your team. I hope you'll forgive me later."

"Yeah, sorry about this!" Tierno said with an apologetic wave. "I mean, you look as great as usual, but I did tell Ash that we were going to win, and that's what we're going to do! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

"Toise!" Blastoise roared, cocking its cannons before letting off a powerful rush of gleaming water at the pair of Serena and Braixen. Just as the sound of gushing water entered her ears, Serena swore she heard something else: footsteps.

"Electivire, use Protect!" Gary's voice cut through the sound of the water and Serena turned to see the brunet Kanto native at another entrance to the plaza. Electivire, meanwhile, was running in and erecting a green barrier that completely nullified Blastoise's Hydro Pump. The scales were starting to even up a bit as Gary ran to Serena's side. "Glad I got here in time. You and Braixen okay?"

"We're fine. Thanks for the help," Serena said, raising her hand to give a high five to her team member.

"We're teammates, aren't we?" Gary asked with a smirk. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Brock's on his way here, too."

"I'm already here," Brock's voice called out as he ran in, Chansey bouncing at his side. Shauna, Tierno and Trevor were staring at the scene with astonishment; they must not have expected their pincer attack strategy to fail. Now, instead of a one-on-three, it had become a far more favorable three-on-three. Conway had slunk away from the plaza, as well, leaving only the six of them to battle it out. That left only one major question.

"Have either of you seen Ash or his signal flares from Greninja?" she asked worriedly. Brock frowned and gave no answer while Gary shrugged and sighed tiredly.

"Not at all," Gary answered. "He probably forgot about them after a few minutes, but I'm worried that he hasn't shown up on the screens, either. Shows that even with a strategy, a team with Ash on it can't follow it to the letter."

"Neither has Seamus," Brock voiced in concern. That was a coincidence, or so Serena hoped. She didn't want to imagine that Ash and Seamus were trying to battle everything out off-screen from the cameras. "But right now, we have more important things to worry about."

"How about we each take them one-on-one? I get the feeling there are more battle zones around this plaza."

"Sounds good to me," Serena said confidently. She'd have to worry about Ash later; right now, Shauna was the more troublesome objective. Each of the three members of Team Ketchum faced a different member of the other trio and Serena watched as Shauna dropped the smile for another determined gaze. Serena stepped forward and a blue light surrounded the pair of them, the same counters that had popped up when Dawn faced Aria appearing on the blue light.

"Serena and Shauna are about to battle it out in Appeals Battle, while Trevor and Brock are in for a Timed Battle and Gary and Tierno are in for a free battle," Harry yelled out, his voice heard loud and clear to the participants. "Don't look away folks, you won't want to miss this."

Serena adjusted her fedora a little and stared ahead with eyes of steel. The sun was dipping ever lower, but her own confidence rose. Only one little thought entered her head before she could focus on the battle:  _Be careful, Ash_.

Then Braixen leapt forward to begin the battle with Ivysaur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The final day's turning out long, huh? I hope that I'm doing it justice, however and you don't feel like you're missing anything. Needless to say, the battles will only get better from here and I hope you'll continue to enjoy them. Where is Ash? For that matter, where is Seamus? Who will be the victor? All these answers and more, next time!
> 
> Every review and favorite brightens my day and keeps me soaring ahead and forging ahead. Please keep it up with me to the very end! In the meantime, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	15. A Triple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never explicitly stated it within the story, but you're free to make Ash and the gang roughly any reasonable age you want. He doesn't have to be ten, in other words. But I'm not definitively making them a particular age. That said, it's time for the exciting, illustrious Chapter 15!

Chapter 15

A Triple

"Look at that, Greninja, Serena's battling it out with Shauna," Ash said excitedly, pointing at the screen they were nearest to. Greninja turned his head and nodded, watching the screen with just as much interest as his trainer. The two of them were currently standing on a large bridge that crossed over the largest part of the city's river. At intervals along the large structure were more monitors displaying the results of the final day so far. Ash had watched almost every one of them in vivid detail as he ran along. Greninja started to as well, especially when Sceptile and Blaziken were battling it out.

Now it seemed like their team was getting into a real piece of the action, with Serena, Brock, and Gary facing off against the trio of Shauna, Trevor and Tierno respectively. Ash didn't worry about any one of them. They'd pull out a victory. Now, if only he could find a suitable opponent. He'd been looking for Seamus, wanting to battle it out again…until he got completely lost and ended up here.

"Chansey, we've got five moves, so let's make the most of it," Brock's voice rang out over the monitors. "Use Secret Power!"

"Chansey chan!" the Egg Pokémon chanted out. She closed her eyes and the pink aura that Ash had seen only a few times before surrounded Chansey's body before blasting outward towards Charmeleon. Naturally, Trevor ordered for his Pokémon to dodge, but Chansey's Secret Power was so widespread that Charmeleon was simply blasted back instead.

"Steady yourself and use Flame Burst," Trevor ordered. Ash found his feet stopping once again, watching raptly as Charmeleon spit out a large bullet of flame that was aiming for Brock's Pokémon. Chansey just stood there and took the attack while the embers of the attack shot off towards Serena and Shauna's battle. Apparently their Appeal Zone stopped the attack from interfering at all, although the camera didn't focus on the girls' battle, to Ash's displeasure. "Okay, if that doesn't work, rush in and use Fire Spin!"

"Charmeleon!" the Flame Pokémon cried out. It opened its jaw wide and fire rushed out of it while Charmeleon ran forward. The effect of the attack streaming out combined with Charmeleon's assault almost made it look like it was using something like Flame Charge or Flare Blitz as it came close. Ash had to admire Chansey's fortitude more; the Pokémon wasn't moving at all.

Rather, she didn't move until Charmeleon came close and Brock ordered a very simple attack.

"Pound." Chansey raised its hand and Ash flinched. He'd seen Chansey as a Happiny before use incredible strength in a battle or just bench-pressing mountains. As a Chansey…well, all he had to do was look at the screen. The Egg Pokémon slammed its open palm down on Charmeleon. Trevor hadn't seen it coming as Charmeleon slammed into the ground. The shock was evident on its face as it got a face full of dirt.

"Quick, bite it with Fire Fang!" Charmeleon raised its head just a little as its fangs blazed. With the strength it had, Charmeleon lunged forward and bit into Chansey's lower body, the flames clearly hurting Brock's Pokémon. Chansey twisted and turned around, bringing Charmeleon with it, as she tried to fling the Pokémon away from her. Charmeleon remained riveted in place, allowing no chance for escape.

"Don't panic, Chansey, and use Secret Power," Brock said in his calmest voice. He always knew how to command his Pokémon. That was probably why Ash looked up to him, bringing a smile to his face. Chansey's body once more glowed pink and that same aura pulsated outward. Charmeleon was blasted off, but didn't go too far. That turned into a rather lucky break for Trevor.

"Dragon Claw!" Charmeleon's claws grew long and green, and it swiped down at Chansey, slicing at the poor Pokémon's head. Chansey's head bowed low from the hit and Ash could see the wincing that she was undergoing. Charmeleon took that opportunity to put some distance between the two. "Okay, let's finish this off with another Flame Burst as our last move!"

"Counter with Egg Bomb!" Chansey righted itself as Charmeleon once more spat the missile of flame at its opponent. Ash frowned; something wasn't right. When the Egg Bomb intercepted the Flame Burst's path and made a small-scale explosion expand outward to the borders of the battle zone, Ash finally got it. Brock had only used four moves. "Now, Softboiled."

"Chansey!" Chansey chirruped happily. Her egg rose out of her pouch and glowed a soft golden color as it rose into the sky before raining that golden light down upon the Egg Pokémon, herself. When the light receded, Chansey looked as healthy as when it had gotten into the battle. All that meant was…

"The refs have called it: the winner of the timed battle is Chansey for superior tactics and clear endurance. Trevor and Charmeleon are out of the game!"

"Yes!" Ash said, pumping his fist slightly in victory. The screen also showed the other battles had come to their end in the meantime, but before the results of them could be shown, Ash heard Greninja hiss at him. He turned, just in time for Greninja to grab him and haul him away from what soon turned into ground zero. As he was taken away from the spot, he saw a purple beam strike that spot and he realized that a Dragon Pulse had just missed them. And when it came to Dragon Pulse, he knew it had to be…

"Sawyer, that you?" Ash asked as he got back onto his feet. When he looked around, he saw the green haired Hoenn native approaching from the other side of the bridge. Sceptile leapt down from the top, a grin on his face as he faced down Greninja. Ash clapped his hands together, realizing that he and Greninja were up against the bridge's railing, albeit still facing towards Sawyer. "All right. I've been waiting to battle you again."

"Me too, Ash! I've made lots of notes in preparation for today," Sawyer responded. But rather than follow those words, Ash saw him actually put the book away. Ash grinned. Sawyer putting his book away meant that the gloves were coming off, and they were in for one heck of a battle.

"I watched your battle with May," Ash said as Greninja shuffled forward, getting into an attack stance. "You've really learned a lot. That Inverse Battle looked like fun, too."

"Maybe we can try it sometime, then. But right now, I want to beat you." As Sawyer finished his statement, a large shuddering surrounded the bridge, causing the trainers and their Pokémon to shake with every step. Ash turned his head, following Greninja's keen senses, to where the shaking was coming from. Somehow, he wasn't surprised that Rocky and his Rhyperior were approaching the pair of them.

"Mind if I join in?" he asked. Ash just gave a short nod. He'd have to beat Team Brutal at some point, anyway, and if a three-way battle was the way to do it, then it was fine by him. "Good. You guys look strong, and I want to fight the strong."

"Why? What's in it for you?" Ash asked, his eyebrow raised skeptically. Rocky smirked just a little, patting his Rhyperior on the back.

"Because if I can beat the strong, it means I'm one of them. Let's wreck, Rhyperior." Rhyperior gave off a great roar, but didn't make a move. In fact, all three didn't make a move. Greninja, Sceptile, and Rhyperior just stared around at one another. Ash's stomach rumbled a little, but he was too engrossed in the battle about to take place to really notice.

"Look at the tension out there," Kalas said in a dramatic whisper that could be heard over the speakers and the howling wind of the bridge. "None of them are attacking. This may very well be a powerhouse battle, folks."

A flock of Swanna flew past overhead, and their collective gust caused a stone to fall onto the bridge. Amidst all the other noises, Ash heard it clearly clatter to the ground. It was a gong, telling each of them to fight.

Greninja, Sceptile, and Rhyperior all leapt at each other.

* * *

"Braixen, create pillars of flame with Fire Spin!"

"Brai Braixen!" Braixen spun around nimbly on her feet, waving her wand around as though she were in a performance. Serena was glad that Braixen seemed to understand just how to battle in this Appeal Zone. As she continued to spin, Braixen tapped her wand to the sides of the battlefield, creating rotating columns of flame that were sent in an arc towards Ivysaur. She also tapped one straight in the direction of Ivysaur, allowing for all three to converge on the single spot that was the Seed Pokémon.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf to get through the Fire Spin!" Shauna said. Ivysaur cried out an affirmative and from its half-open bulb shot numerous sharp leaves. They never made it anywhere close to Braixen; the pillars of flame were simply too close and ate up the leaves, disintegrating them to ashes. Serena stole a quick look to her counter and noticed that Shauna's was dropping after the Razor Leaf attempt. She smiled; just from watching Dawn and Aria battle, she had an idea of what she had to do to win this.

"Now use Hidden Power!" Braixen twirled its wand around again, pointing it forward. Multiple balls of silver light spun around the tip before firing off, leaving silver streaks behind them as they flew towards Ivysaur.

"Use Energy Ball and Vine Whip to spin them!" Ivysaur opened its mouth and sent a matching number of glowing green projectiles towards the same orbs of Hidden Power. Then its vines extended and hit the orbs, making them spin as they spun straight for the other orbs. The two attacks collided, creating silver and green sparkles that filled the air. Serena saw both of their meters drop and she knew she had to do something. "Take away Braixen's wand!"

"Saur Ivysaur," Ivysaur cried out, its vine shooting forward and wrapping around the wand. Braixen attempted to struggle with it, but the pull of the vine proved too much and her wand was wrenched from her hand. Braixen fell backwards from the effort.

"Braixen brai brai Braixen!" she cried out, and Serena could tell that her starter Pokémon was getting far too upset.

"Braixen, it's all right," she said, stepping forward to put a hand on her. "We just need to win this battle. As our new friend Dawn would say, no need to worry. Now just use Flamethrower from your mouth! Show them what you can do!"

"Brai!" Braixen cried out. She did a little twirl and then sent a Flamethrower roaring from her mouth, straight for Ivysaur and the wand that was suspended in midair. Amongst the raging flames that produced countless sparks of fire that hung in the air, Serena could have sworn she saw some other embers heading for them that appeared blocked by a blue barrier.

"Use Solarbeam, Ivysaur!" Shauna called out over the sound of the rushing fire. It appeared that Ivysaur had been storing up Solarbeam all this time, because it fired immediately, cutting right through the Flamethrower to slam into Braixen's chest. The colliding attacks made a brilliant sheen of light filter over the area and Serena's meter dropped further. A few more attacks and she would certainly be done for. "Let's use our Vine Whip and Energy Ball combo again."

"We won't let you do that! We'll use our own combination, Shauna! Use Fire Blast!" Braixen nodded and opened her mouth. Instead of a simple torrent of flame, the five points that signified a Fire Blast formed and went spinning towards the coalescing, spinning Energy Balls. "Now, add Hidden Power to the mix!"

Even without her wand, Braixen raised her hands and waved them, creating those same silver balls of light that settled into the gaps of the Fire Blast, rotating with them. The Energy Balls battered against the Fire Blast, but not a one made it through until the brilliantly shining Fire Blast exploded against Ivysaur in a glitter of orange and silver light. Braixen was on the move again, as she leapt and flipped into the air, through the dying embers of fire to grab her wand from Ivysaur's limp vine.

"Finish it off with Fire Spin!" The second Braixen landed, she directed her wand behind her and another brilliant pillar of flame jutted upward from the ground, like it was magma spewing from underneath the tiles. When the fire finally faded, Ivysaur was down, as was Shauna's counter.

"Well, zat was an impressive battle," Pierre was heard over the speakers. "Performer Serena has showed a masterful use of fire in zis performance of hers. Ivysaur was quite ze skilled one as well."

"We did it, Braixen!" Serena cried, running over to her Pokémon as the blue barrier faded. Shauna sighed, but accepted a gracious defeat with a smile. In another corner of the plaza, Charmeleon was also out of the fight…or at least far worse off than Chansey was. The only battle continuing was Gary and Tierno's. At the moment, neither seemed to be the least bit exhausted, although Gary was yawning as Blastoise was hurtling at Electivire with a Rapid Spin.

"Protect, Electivire," Gary said with a lazy wave of his hand. It wasn't like he was taunting Tierno (even if said boy didn't notice because he was too busy dancing), but Serena couldn't help but feel that Gary was being just a  _little_  mean. Blastoise slammed into the green shield, which Electivire immediately dropped and followed up with a blistering Thunder Punch to the Water Pokémon's jaw. Blastoise went careening backwards with sparks of electricity still flying from its jaw.

"Blastoise, get in rhythm and use Hydro Pump!" Tierno said. Blastoise started moving its feet to some unheard rhythm before blasting water out of the cannons on its shoulders. Gary stood there with a frown, like he was observing something. The water continued flying in unpredictable directions, although it was still aimed solely at Electivire. The two combatants didn't seem to notice that the other battles had finished.

"Take it," Gary said, his eyes narrowing sharply. Electivire crossed its arms as the pressurized jet of water slammed into it, pushing it back a foot or two. Blastoise was moving forward, light on its feet from its dancing. "Iron Tail."

"Aqua Tail!" Tierno said joyously. Blastoise whipped around and flipped into the air, almost like a Performer's Pokémon. Then its watery tail whipped downward, just as both of Electivire's tails whipped up, gleaming silver in color to collide with the attack. Somehow, Serena felt the match was over then and there. Before Tierno could realize it, Electivire's tails had snaked around Blastoise's body and pulled it into extremely close range.

"Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered. Electivire smiled playfully and once more slammed its charged fist into Blastoise's face. It didn't stop there, managing to get another two hits in before Blastoise finally broke free by jamming his forehead up against Electivire's. The Thunder Pokémon stumbled backwards as Blastoise began to spin again, using the ground as a pivot with its arm to get going before withdrawing in its shell. Then water began spraying from the holes left in its body as it sailed once more for the exposed Electivire. "Stop it with Iron Tail."

"Come on, Blastoise, you've gotta do this!" Tierno yelled out. Unfortunately for the black-haired trainer, fancy dance moves weren't enough. Electivire's Iron Tails had brute strength behind them to grab hold of the Water type and throw him completely off course, slamming into the wall of a building. Blastoise seemed dazed, but still in the fight, so Gary went one step further.

"Thunder, Electivire!"

"Vire Electivire!" Electivire began to spin his arms, like a motor that was whirring up, electricity crackling around its entire form. Just when Serena thought it couldn't build up anymore, Electivire threw its hands down and from the sky came a bolt of lightning greater than anything even  _Pikachu_  had produced (as far as Serena had seen). The bolt zapped into Blastoise and the electricity was so strong, Serena could feel her hair going upward from the static. When it receded, part of the ground was charred and Blastoise was out.

"They're done!" Kalas cried out. "In just under a half hour, Team Coordinator has lost three of its members. This brings two teams down to only one trainer a piece. Team Ketchum is really moving ahead now. Can they keep this up?"

At Kalas' words, Serena looked to the screen which was once more showing the periodic scoreboard.

TEAM KETCHUM 33

TEAM BRUTAL 30

TEAM TRAINER 20

TEAM COORDINATOR 18

Serena breathed a little easier. They had a small margin in the lead, and with two teams out, it meant that there were less opponents on the field. Next to her, Shauna sighed miserably before patting Serena on the shoulder.

"I'm sad we lost, but you and I had a great battle," she said to her. Serena smiled, and before she knew it she was pulling Shauna into a hug. "What's that all about?"

"Thanks, Shauna. Battling you, I was able to bring out my best performance ever," she said to the brunette. Shauna hugged her back.

"Me, too. Now go and win the tournament. But watch out for Dawn, our team  _is_  still in the running."

"Hey, we're not giving up until the very end of this tournament!" Serena said, both she and Braixen pumping their fists in victory. She turned her head to nod at Gary and Brock who were consoling Trevor and Tierno. They both caught sight of her and nodded in response. It was time to split up once again.

Just then, a massive shaking rocked the city. Serena whipped around in the direction of the river and saw a huge dust cloud rising from it. Instantly, she knew that was where Ash was…and where she was going to go. All she had to do was follow the river.

"I'll see you when we win, Shauna!"

"Good luck, Serena!" Then she was on her way.

* * *

"Use Aerial Ace!" Greninja complied immediately, its arms glowing a light blue. It then crossed them and sent the same colored X slashing out toward both of its opponents that were converging on the center. At the same moment as it released the slash, Greninja ran into the fray. Only, he was ill-timed as Sawyer commanded a Leaf Blade. Sceptile's blades emerged and managed to slice right across Greninja, sending it tumbling across the bridge.

"Rhyperior, use Hammer Arm!" Rocky ordered. Rhyperior reared back and brought its second-most powerful move slamming onto the surface of the bridge.

"Dodge it and use Bullet Seed!" Sceptile swept itself along the floor right as the attack connected with the bridge. Then it started to leap into the air for its Bullet Seed attack.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash cried out. Greninja had righted itself quickly after being hit by the Leaf Blade. It summoned the liquid shuriken in its hands and sent both of them soaring at its two opponents. They traveled so fast, leaving a blue stream of water behind them, that they connected before either Pokémon could counter. "Now, get in there with a Cut!"

"Ninja!" Greninja said, summoning its sharp, white blade as it ran into the thick of the still impacting Water Shuriken. He swung downward, bringing the point of his Cut move down.

"Leaf Storm, now!" Sawyer ordered. Despite having just been hit by Water Shuriken, Sceptile managed to whip around. Being so close, Greninja was hit by the Forest Pokémon's tail as the whirling wind and leaves blasted out. The force carried Greninja and sent it tumbling over the edge of the bridge and into the water below. Rhyperior had an easier time of things, having used Protect at the last minute, making the Leaf Storm pass by harmlessly. Ash knew he had to check on Greninja, so without a second thought, he threw himself onto the side of the bridge and dove into the river.

Greninja seemed fine, swimming underneath the water to reach his trainer. Ash gave his Pokémon a high five and both surfaced again, turning their heads towards where the battle on the bridge was still going. Ash turned to Greninja. "You gotta get back up there!"

"Sceptile, use Bullet Speed!" Up above, Ash could see Sceptile firing the green seeds that were speeding in on Rhyperior. Unfortunately for the Grass type, despite Rhyperior's weakness to the attack, it was still moving forward with shuddering steps that Ash could feel in the water below. His face creased itself into a scowl; there had to be a way to get at least one of them out of the battle so he could focus on one at a time. Greninja was now at the top of the bridge supports, ready to join the battle once again. Since both Pokémon were occupied in their combat, Ash knew this was the best time to strike.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled, his voice carrying up to his Pokémon. Greninja leapt upward, flying towards both Sceptile and Rhyperior before they could even see him coming. The liquid shuriken began rotating before Greninja chucked them out at the same quick speed. Sceptile was faster at blocking the attack, but Rhyperior stumbled backward after getting hit by the attack. "Now, use Aerial Ace!"

"Gren!" Greninja complied, rushing from its position in the air towards Sceptile. His body glowed blue and another X formed at the front of his arms as he slashed straight through Sceptile who went tumbling backwards again, landing at Greninja's feet. Sceptile wasn't done yet, though and managed to make an uppercut with his Leaf Blade. Greninja leapt back.

"Hammer Arm!" Rhyperior charged forward and cried out loudly, its incoming arm easily telegraphed to the two speedier Pokémon. Both Greninja and Sceptile leapt back as the Hammer Arm slammed into the ground once more, shuddering through the area.

"Get him!" Ash yelled at the same time as Sawyer. It may have been a three-way battle, but Team Brutal was always the main objective. Setting aside their rivalry, Sceptile and Greninja dashed forward; Greninja's Water Shuriken appeared and Sceptile's Leaf Blades collided with Rhyperior. Despite the larger Pokémon's incredible strength, it was unable to compete with its opponents' speed, flailing its arms around as it was unable to get a single hit in. Meanwhile, Greninja and Sceptile continued to batter it with their signature attacks.

"Calm down, Rhyperior. You're stronger than them so wreck 'em with Stone Edge!"

"Rhyperior!" the Drill Pokémon roared out and the shards of stone formed around its body. Both Greninja and Sceptile were in the middle of their attacks, but they stopped and leapt back as the stones began to whirl around Rhyperior's body quickly. The Ground type thrust its hands forward and the stones flew off, aiming for both.

"Deflect it with Cut!" Sawyer gave his own order at the same time as Ash had commanded the use of Cut. Greninja called its blade of white forward and as he stood next to Sceptile, the two rivals began deflecting the stones as quickly as they could. Ash sneezed from spending too long in the water. He really needed to finish this battle up as soon as possible. Greninja was counting on him, and he knew that his Pokémon could last as it used Cut like an expert to slice and dice the stones. Sceptile appeared to be keeping up with him.

"Finish it. Rock Wrecker!" Rocky ordered with a loud voice.

"DODGE!" Ash screamed at the same time as Sawyer. He was unsure of the success in giving that command. All he knew was that the large boulder crashed against the bridge, causing a huge dust cloud to rise up. Then Ash felt the water level change as a huge wave crested and washed over him. He flubbed in the water, slipping and falling into the drink. With his mouth open, the water flowed in and nearly choked him until he felt two hands, webbed hands, pulling him out onto the street. "Thanks…Greninja…"

Nearby, Sceptile had pulled Sawyer out and he was coughing up a storm, spluttering water all over the place. Ash shook his head, trying to get his wet hair out of his eyes. Rocky and Rhyperior were nowhere to be seen, but it was easy to see just what they had done to the bridge: the whole thing had practically collapsed in on itself. He thought this place had been protected from major Pokémon attacks, but Rhyperior was evidently proving them wrong. The raven haired trainer stood and Greninja helped him stand, but winced a little bit. The Rock Wrecker had clearly hit him, though Sceptile looked no better off either.

"It looks like Rocky and his Rhyperior have washed off somewhere," Harry said, informing Ash of where their third combatant had gone. "Still, they have not been declared as knocked out, so who knows what we'll be seeing of them."

"What an impressive three-way battle, though!" Aston exclaimed excitedly. Ash smiled a little; it had been very enjoyable to him, as well. Now, however, there was an entirely different issue to deal with. Sawyer and Sceptile were standing and looking at him. Sceptile raised its hand and Ash could tell that he was indicating for Greninja to "bring it".

"Just you and me again, Sawyer," Ash said. "Sorry, but I'm gonna win!"

"Maybe you will, but I'm not making it any easier for you. Sceptile and I still have some fight in us," Sawyer responded with his own smile. Ash pivoted his foot a little and Greninja copied him, both of them ready for another explosive battle against the two.

Ash's eyes narrowed again, and not just because of the water dripping into them. Sceptile had to be exhausted from both the battle with May's Blaziken and the not-quite-tag team of Greninja and Rhyperior. Not that Greninja was doing much better. Ash could tell that the Water type at his side was exhausted from the way his body was moving. He'd have to make this quick if he wanted to save any energy for other opponents.

"Bullet Seed!" Sceptile opened wide and fired the Bullet Seeds in a wide arc. They were fast, but Ash knew that Greninja could move much faster.

"Use Double Team!" Ash ordered. Greninja zipped forward and jumped. The image of him flickered and soon there were twenty Greninjas surrounding the area. "Now, use Aerial Ace!"

All of them glowed blue and fired their cross shaped beams of air at the slowly moving Sceptile. Then Sawyer gave his command for a Leaf Storm. The windy blades of grass once more erupted from Sceptile's tail and the Pokémon continued its way along gradually, trying to make his Leaf Storm hit each and every Greninja out there to find the right one. Ash groaned a little when it was successful and Greninja cried in pain while it flew higher into the air.

"Hit him with Leaf Blade!" Like in the third day battle, Sceptile slammed his tail on the ground and flew through the still storming leaves to reach Greninja. Then it twirled around in midair and made successive slices across Greninja with his glowing green blades. It was starting to look hopeless with how tired Greninja was, combined with the type disadvantage. That's when his Pokémon looked at him with the fire of determination.

"Grab Sceptile and use Aerial Ace!" Right before Sceptile's next powerful Leaf Blade was to make contact, Greninja grabbed his hand and started descending down towards the ground, the blue cross shape of his Aerial Ace surrounding the both of them. The leaves still remaining scattered away, lost on whatever natural wind was blowing around the area as Greninja crashed both of them into the ground, a blue blast of light erupting from their collision point. Greninja leapt off immediately afterward. Sceptile struggled a little more.

"Lots of Bullet Seeds!" Sawyer commanded. As soon as Sceptile had risen to his feet he opened his mouth and sent out so many Bullet Seeds, Ash's eyes couldn't keep up with all of them as they hurtled towards Greninja. Of course, it was easy for the Ninja Pokémon who simply waited for his trainer's command.

"Cut!" Greninja smirked underneath his tongue cowl and he once more called forth his blade of light. With what looked like a single stroke, Greninja swiped through the Bullet Seeds and they exploded in a burst of green light. Sceptile was waiting with a Dragon Pulse that Ash didn't see coming. Greninja tumbled back and slammed through a flower bed, breaking the stone that made it up. The flowers were unharmed, though.

"Come on, Greninja! We can win!" Ash yelled as Greninja shakily raised himself to his feet. "Let's win!"

A strange feeling flooded through Ash's body, but it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. No, he had experienced this a few times before when he felt what Greninja was feeling. He saw what Greninja was seeing. By all rights, he felt like he was Greninja, and that was why he felt confident in his victory.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled, throwing both of his hands out like he was going to throw the shuriken himself. A water veil was surrounding Greninja as he leapt forward, destroying whatever flowers were in his vicinity. The shuriken in his hands were even larger than usual as he jetted forward. Ash could see Sceptile's eyes widen, particularly because he felt like he was so close to them…just like Greninja was. Then the attack connected and Sceptile went flying into the water. Right after that, Ash moved his arms into a cross shape, knowing just what move to use next. "Finish it up with Aerial Ace!"

"Greninja!" the Ninja Pokémon cried out, the blue cross of its Aerial Ace lost amidst the cyclone of water swirling around its body. Sceptile was still in a recovery mode when Greninja made contact, forcing Sceptile all the way across the river and into the stone embankment on the other side.

"No! Sceptile, you can stand right?" Sawyer asked desperately, wading into the river to reach his trusted Pokémon. Sceptile tried standing, looking defiantly at Greninja. Ash had to admit, both he and his Pokémon felt like the Forest Pokémon was just as impressive as ever, framed by the now setting sun as it tried to rally the last of its energy.

It wasn't enough and Sceptile began to fall.

Then the giant stone flew out of almost nowhere and made impact with Sceptile's body, flattening him into the ground with little remorse.

"Guess I'm the stronger one," called Rocky's voice. Ash stared over, a nasty scowl etching itself into his face as he looked at the smirking Team Brutal member. Rhyperior was at his side as he stood atop the remaining rubble of the bridge. Sawyer was at Sceptile's side, the Pokémon twitching in pain. Anger flared up inside Ash and he felt it course through Greninja as well.

"That was uncalled for! He was about to faint!" Ash screamed, running right back into the water to face the trainer from Team Brutal.

"I wanted the point, and I got it," Rocky commented like it was just common sense. Ash's lips twitched in anger and his hands balled themselves into fists while Greninja did the same, its water veil still flowing around his body. "Now I just need to take your point so Team Brutal can get back on top."

"I don't get it!" Ash screamed, the anger becoming too much for him. "Why are you even part of this tournament? Why did jerks like you even become trainers?"

"We all have our reasons," Rocky answered, leaning against Rhyperior with a smirk. "Now, I don't consider Pokémon tools like Seamus and Travis do, but they're just idiots. They just set us on the path to achieve our dreams. Mine is to be the strongest, but none of that matters to you, because I'm going to put you and your team where they belong: on the ground."

Ash's lips now turned into a sneer as he and Greninja collectively raised their fists at the boy. "Then we'll knock you into the sky. You'll go blasting off further than Team Rocket ever has!"

* * *

Dawn appeared to be in big trouble, judging by what the screens were showing as they flashed by. Serena pumped her legs, still heading for the river even as the sun started to fade slightly, bathing the city in a golden glow. It was a lot farther away than it looked. Right now, though, Serena wasn't heading for Ash, but Dawn who was battling it out with Christopher near a port section of the river (or, at least, it was designed that way even if it didn't function as such).

Worse than that, it was an Inverse Battle.

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam, and make it widespread!" Dawn called out, pumping her fist. Piplup began to spin, sending all kinds of bubbles all over the place.

"Piplupluplup!" the Penguin Pokémon cried as he did so. From what Serena could see on the screen, the bubbles were rising like froth, or a wall; she couldn't decide which. Either way, from amidst that wall multiple bubbles were still spewing forth towards a staunch Crawdaunt that Christopher was commanding. Most importantly, though, was that because it was an Inverse Battle, and both Pokémon were Water types…almost every move was super effective.

"Now, use Drill Peck!" True to her Coordinator roots, Dawn's command was more than just a simple attack command. Piplup rushed out through the stream of bubbles, a number of them clinging to the Water type while he spun in Crawdaunt's direction.

"Stop with Crabhammer," Christopher said shortly. He was showing his usual inclination towards brevity. Once Piplup got close enough to actually hit Crawdaunt, which he did, the Rogue Pokémon slammed down with a white glowing pincer. Piplup impacted with the ground and squealed loudly as he bounced along the surface. Serena turned a corner and she could see the river at the end of the street. Looking back up, she noticed that Piplup and Crawdaunt had both increased the distance between each other.

"Piplup, use Hydro Pump to close the distance!" Piplup reared back and issued a jet of water far larger and more powerful than the Penguin Pokémon's size would belie. Christopher didn't appear to give any command, but Crawdaunt bravely walked forward (it was more like scuttling) into the torrent of the Hydro Pump. It was no doubt being battered by a now super effective move, but it kept going. Piplup, meanwhile, appeared to be lessening the flow of water from his beak. The second it stopped, Crawdaunt closed the distance.

"Night Slash."

"Daunt!" Crawdaunt cried out as its pincers glowed purple and it sliced across Piplup's whole body. Piplup tumbled backwards, a nasty purple cut on his chest. He sprang to his feet with a determined look on his face.

"Let's use Mega Bubblebeam, Piplup!" Piplup now started forming the giant bubble that he had used to defeat Aria in their Appeals Battle. Serena finally broke out onto the river street. She tossed her head around and managed to see the sight of the two Water Pokémon battling. Dawn may have been on a rival team, but it didn't mean that she wanted to abandon her. They could join forces and then battle it out afterwards.

"Crawdaunt, Guillotine," Christopher said simply.

There was a brief moment, like a heartbeat, where Serena felt her steps falter. Crawdaunt's claws shone an eerie blue color, shimmering strangely in the light of the setting sun. Serena's next foot hit the pavement and she felt the sound echo all around. Even from her distance, she could see Piplup's eyes widening before Crawdaunt's pincers made contact with his body. It was like a simple squeeze in a scissoring shape that passed through Piplup before the Water type fell to the ground, completely out of commission.

"That's that one down, folks!" Kalas cried out as Serena stopped running altogether. Fear was gripping her at the sight of how easily Piplup had crumbled to that Guillotine attack "With Dawn out, and Sawyer's earlier defeat by Rocky, only two teams now remain within the tournament. Let's take a brief look at the scoreboard before we return to the action."

Serena could only spare the board a single glance, because Christopher had seen her and was now heading over to her, Crawdaunt stalking forward like an omen of doom.

TEAM KETCHUM 33

TEAM BRUTAL 32

Serena was so frozen, that only the thought of the single point gap was stuck in her head…along with the advancing Crawdaunt. Maybe she could run? Find Gary or Brock or Clemont? She wasn't cut out for this kind of battling, not against someone willing to crush their opponents in one move. Now was her last chance to run and find someone else to help her out.

"Brai Braixen brai!" called the voice of her loyal Pokémon from next to her. Serena turned her head to see Braixen looking at her with confidence. Her lips trembled a little but Braixen nodded, and Ash's words echoed in her head.  _Never give up until it's over._

"You're right. Thanks, Braixen," Serena said, moving her lips into a smile. "Let's do this together."

"Crawdaunt, Guillotine." Crawdaunt began to scuttle once more along the tiled ground, moving in an unpredictable zigzag fashion. Its pincers were glowing the same eerie blue, but Serena wasn't going to let herself fall into the same trap as Dawn, who had now picked Piplup into her arms.

"Dance and dodge it!" Braixen spun, whipping her wand out just as Crawdaunt went zipping past, the attack missing. The blue glow vanished and Serena saw it as her chance to attack. "Hidden Power!"

"Brai!" Braixen cried confidently, pointing its wand towards Crawdaunt and sending the silver orbs of light flying at Crawdaunt. The Rogue Pokémon barely turned to face its opponent when the projectiles made landing on its body.

"Now," Christopher said. Serena whipped her head around as from the river emerged the form of Cacturne, moving at too fast a speed to comprehend. The blonde Performer opened her mouth to tell Braixen to dodge, but she couldn't get it out in time before the purple fist that Cacturne was using impacted with Braixen and drove her up against the wall of one of the buildings. The next second, Serena heard footsteps and watched as Bethany came up to Christopher's side.

"Shame, the Braixen is still standing," Bethany commented. "I was hoping we could have ended it then and there."

"Of course not," Christopher said. It was probably the most normal sentence that Serena had heard him speak. "She's a challenge. We need to work together."

"Right…" Bethany sighed out. Serena flitted her eyes around the area, realizing just how trapped she was in this moment. Braixen seemed fine, if a little rattled, but between the two Pokémon now surrounding them, she'd have to use some very creative thinking to get out of this one intact. "Cacturne, Needle Arm!"

"Crawdaunt, use Crabhammer!" Both Pokémon moved inward, aiming right for Braixen, who had nowhere left to run between the pincer movement, the wall and the river. She held her wand aloft, ready to do something at a moment's notice.

"Flamethrower, hurry!" Serena yelled. Braixen issued a dazzling flame from its wand which engulfed its pursuers. The two attacking Pokémon were thrown back towards their trainers, but it wasn't the Flamethrower that had done it.

"Sorry we're a little late to the party, but you know I'm no good at running," Clemont said, waving at Serena as he came running up. Serena smiled once more, happy to be reunited with one of her friends. At the same time, she noticed Luxray jumping backwards, suffering from a recoil; obviously he had used Wild Charge to get Cacturne and Crawdaunt away. "This evens up the odds, right?"

"You have no idea…" Serena breathed in relief. She gave a quick high five to Clemont when he finally reached her and the two turned to their opponents, both looking surprised at this turn of events (Bethany more than Christopher). Seconds later, a loud announcement came over the speakers.

"It looks like Gary and Travis have entered into a Locked Battle Zone in Fountain Square! It's Team Ketchum against Team Brutal, people. Which one is going to come out on top?"

Serena looked ahead, steeling herself for the battle to come. They were finally at the final phase, and she would make sure Team Ketchum would take it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I'd like to think I wrote some exciting battles for this chapter, but that's obviously up to you guys. I can like my work all I want but it doesn't make it true, now does it? Either way, we're heading into the final phases of the battle here. Who will be left standing? And who's going to win the Kalos Team Tournament? All that and more, next time. Including a few answers about some of these guys from Team Brutal. I hope you'll stick around.
> 
> All of you light up my week and keep me pressing onward to that inevitable finish line. So, until I see you again, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	16. A Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for this chapter I was totally listening to the Japanese XYZ opening on repeat. I suggest you do, too…at least when Ash is battling. It will make it epic. Therefore, let's start Chapter 16!

Chapter 16

A Team

Ash's vision was growing just a little blurry, and his limbs were growing tired. Greninja was slowing down, too, so Ash had a feeling that it had to do with that. Whenever he seemed to merge with Greninja, this always happened…but he wasn't giving up. Hadn't he always told Serena to never give up until it was over? The thought of her brought a smile to his face and he turned to look at Greninja.

"We're not giving up, right?" he asked of his trusty Water type.

"Gren," Greninja said, the nod he was giving almost undiscernible underneath the water veil.

"Then, let's go. Use Water Shuriken!" Greninja's arms flew out as it dashed across the water towards Rhyperior and his trainer. The liquid shuriken formed and with a heave, Greninja jumped into the air and launched the two spinning water blades at Rhyperior. The Drill Pokémon stood fast, obviously knowing that it didn't have any speed to dodge. The attack struck with a small explosion that nearly knocked Rhyperior over, but it stood its ground. Greninja was still on a course for the Ground type.

"Rock Wrecker, let's go!" Rocky ordered his loyal Pokémon. Rhyperior raised its hands above its head and formed the glistening red rock between them. In no time at all, Rhyperior slung the very large projectile at Greninja. Exhaustion was taking over, Ash could feel it, and Greninja missed his chance to dodge. The Rock Wrecker slammed into Greninja's chest and sent him reeling into the water.

"Agh!" Ash screamed, clutching at his own chest as he nearly doubled over from the pain. He had forgotten about this strange aspect of synching up with Greninja. "Aerial Ace and Water Shuriken together!"

"Ninja!" Greninja roared out, leaping from the river in a shower of droplets as his water veil temporarily faded away, illuminated into a rainbow by the setting sun. Somewhere in the distance, gasps could be heard. Greninja formed the watery shuriken and tossed them once more towards Rhyperior. As soon as they were loose, Greninja dove forward, a blue X forming around its body as he raced towards his opponent. Greninja made contact with Water Shuriken, forcing a volume of water to rush around his body again. He drove right into Rhyperior seconds later, pushing it back slightly.

"Hammer Arm." Rhyperior had no difficulty whatsoever in raising its glowing arm down and striking Greninja with all it was worth. This time, Ash felt the pain on his back and his breathing became shorter. He had to finish this quickly, or both of them would be in trouble. Rhyperior was already planning his next attack, calling Rock Wrecker out to finish the job once more. Ash closed his eyes, willing Greninja to get up in his mind, even if his body was far too tired to say the words.

"Hurry and use Egg Bomb!" Ash's eyes snapped open at the sound of Brock's voice. Was he dreaming? Was his oldest friend (barring Pikachu, of course) really here? Turning his head up, Ash could see the arc of eggs aiming right for the Rock Wrecker still in Rhyperior's hands. The eggs collided against it and pulsed outward with a surprisingly great explosion that broke the rock to pieces. At the same time, Rhyperior nearly stumbled into the water. Ash felt his hand twitch; Greninja still had plenty of fight left in him.

"Double Team!" Ash roared, his throat just a little hoarse from the pain. Greninja crossed his hands and clones of him appeared all around the area, some up in the air, and some standing on the water below, each one reactivating the water veil that obscured it from view. With a distraction firmly set in place, Ash looked and saw Brock standing near the other end of the destroyed rubble that was once the bridge. Chansey was in the middle, bouncing into the thick of the Greninja doubles. Rhyperior, having now recovered from Brock's surprise attack, was looking around it complete confusion, unable to find the right Greninja.

"You all right, Ash?" Brock called out from where he was.

"Yeah, I'm doing okay. Just a little tired," Ash admitted with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. Brock nodded, looking over at the swirling cyclones of water that were Greninja's copies.

"Your Greninja is something else," Brock said with a shake of his head. Ash just grinned at him and held a thumbs up.

"Rhyperior, don't panic. Find the right one with Stone Edge," Rocky ordered, not nearly as shaken as his Pokémon. Rhyperior tossed its own arms forward and the familiar stones of Stone Edge began their rotation around the Drill Pokémon's body. Then it threw them out. Some of the images dispersed in a melting drop of water, but Ash was prepared for such a strategy.

"Greninja, use Cut!" Ash roared. All of the copies threw their own hands out and summoned blades of white to their hands. Just before the stones would break apart the copies, Greninja started swatting at all of the projectiles with its Cut, beating them away. Ash's knee almost buckled from the strain, and he knew Double Team was about to fade. But Brock had already made his move as Chansey stormed through a pair of the doubles and delivered a surprisingly devastating Pound to the opposing Pokémon that sent it spinning for a moment.

"Great job, Chansey!" Brock called out. Ash breathed in, trying to keep consciousness while Greninja's water clones faded into nothingness, flowing along the river. "I'm surprised you had a hard time with him, Ash."

"Had some other battles first," Ash replied, walking forward sluggishly to join up with the Pokémon doctor. He spared a brief glance at Rocky who was sneering angrily while Rhyperior worked to recover from the Pound. "You ready to give up yet?"

"That's my line," Rocky said, the sneer distorting his voice into one of anger incarnate. "I don't understand you. Why did you even enter this tournament? What's in it for you?"

"That's a question I'd ask you," Brock pointed out. This appeared to take Rocky back, because his foot nearly slipped on the rubble. "We're in this for experience and to have some good fun, but you guys are treating this like the be all and end all."

"Because it is! Don't you get that!" Rocky spat angrily. Ash blinked, trying to keep a solid vision on Rocky before Greninja passed out from exhaustion. "We  _need_  to win this tournament, for us! I need to be seen as the strongest."

"And what does it mean to be the strongest?" Brock asked. "The way you're going about it, I'm not sure you'd ever understand."

"Shut up! Use Hammer Arm!" Rhyperior had at last recovered and was now using its glowing arm to slam Chansey into the ground. There was a split second before the attack hit, however, that Brock smirked. Like it had all gone to plan.

"Now, Chansey. You know what we came here for."

"Chan!" Chansey cried out, raising its stubby arms to the air. Her egg flew outward like a golden light and Ash dropped to his knees from the sight. All he knew was that Hammer Arm connected with Chansey. There was no doubt the Egg Pokémon was out of the fight after such an assault. But something else was different. Ash was different. He wasn't tired.

"I am strong! I'm stronger than all those kids back home who thought it was weird I had a Rhyhorn and its evolutions as my favorite Pokémon! Now I'm showing them, and I'll show you!" Rocky yelled, having completely lost it at Brock's words.

"You're wrong!" Ash screamed. He stood on his legs strongly again, knowing that Brock had used Softboiled on Greninja, who was standing without a problem. Rocky turned at the sight and appeared to stand stock still, not a single twitch traveling down his body. "It's fine for you to love any Pokémon! But you let go of the one thing that makes that love so important: your bond! You focused so much on strength, that your Rhyperior isn't the same as it was then!"

"What do you know? !"

"I know enough! I know what it's like to be ridiculed and to lose, so I'm someone who can share your feelings! Water Shuriken!" Ash roared. Greninja, fueled with renewed energy, leapt into the air and threw the watery shuriken at Rhyperior. The strength was far more powerful than either the Drill Pokémon or its trainer expected.

"We can win, Rhyperior! We gave up everything for this strength, so I know we can. Use Rock Wrecker!"

"You don't need to give up anything when it comes to Pokémon! We all work together to achieve each other's dreams! Being strong isn't about the strength itself, or your Pokémon's power! It's about never giving up until the end! It's about learning from weakness and standing up again! That's the meaning of strength! Greninja, use Aerial Ace and cut through that Rock Wrecker!"

Rhyperior chucked its final rock at Greninja, this one even larger than normal. Greninja leapt into the air, sailing towards it. Then he and his water cyclone began to spin, the blue X that was preceding Greninja spinning with him until they made contact with the Rock Wrecker. Ash started screaming loudly and enthusiastically as Greninja broke the rock in half, the two parts splashing into the river below. Rhyperior's eyes widened to the point that they looked like dinner plates. Rocky's weren't much different.

"Now finish it with Water Shuriken! Let's show him what our strength is!" Greninja landed on the side of a piece of rubble and sprang off, his arms thrown out behind him. The spinning shuriken of water rotated by his hands, but this time he didn't let go. Ash pushed his hands forward like a punch, and Greninja did the same, rushing past Rhyperior as he struck multiple times with his Water Shuriken. The river nearby practically exploded, concealing everything from view as the water flew up. When it finally faded, Rhyperior was down, its eyes swirling.

"Ash Ketchum's done it! Rhyperior is down!" Kalas cried out, his voice echoing over the entire city. "With that Team Ketchum gains their point back, and Team Brutal loses their point that they gained from defeating Brock! What a display from Ash and his Greninja!"

"You've gotten even better, Ash," Brock said with a smile. Ash grinned right back at him as the water veil around Greninja faded away and he returned to normal. Ash dropped onto his knee, feeling pretty tired, if not at the same intensity as before.

"Nice job, Greninja," Ash said after catching his breath. He was wading through a shallow part of the river to reach his trusted Pokémon. Rocky was nearby, having fallen to his knees in complete shock. Ash shook his head and proceeded to climb up to him. When he stood before him, he held his hand out. "You're pretty strong! Let's battle again someday."

Rocky blinked as he looked up at him. Finally, after a while of waiting, he scoffed and took the hand. "Sure thing, if we ever do meet again."

"Ash, Gary's battling it out," Brock called to him. Ash nodded. He turned back to Rocky and waved at him in a friendly manner before running off to join up with Brock, who was watching one of the few monitors that wasn't destroyed. As soon as he saw what was on the screen, Ash's eyes narrowed a little as he saw that Gary was facing off against Travis.

"Why am I not surprised that I'm facing you?" Gary asked with a cocky jerk of his head. Even facing down one of their likeliest toughest opponents, Gary was still filled with such nonchalance and bravado.

"Because you know that I wanted my revenge," Travis responded, running a hand through his red hair. "You beat me in the second day's competition, and I won't stand for that. I need to win."

"Do you now? That seems to be the line with you Team Brutal people," Gary sighed tiredly. In front of the two trainers stood their Pokémon, each watching the other with unrelenting awareness. "Winning can be overrated, though I would prefer to win than lose."

"Not for me. Winning is everything," Travis responded. Ash tapped his foot a little impatiently, wanting them to actually start their fight instead of talking about it. He really wasn't interested in some sort of history on Travis, of all people. "That's why I'll win here and negate that loss. Then I'll track down that Clemont kid and Ketchum. I'll beat them, easy."

"Don't act so high and mighty," Gary responded with a smirk. "You've still got a long way before you reach my level, let alone Ashy-boy's. Besides, I think losing will do some good for you. It definitely did good for me."

"Stop his rambling, Serperior," Travis said, cutting off Gary from saying any more against him. Serperior immediately began to slither along the ground at a quick pace, going right for Electivire. Even through the not-perfect quality of the screen, Ash could see Gary already analyzing the battlefield.

"Electivire, use your tails to break apart the tiles and toss them at Serperior," Gary ordered simply. Electivire grinned and its tails shot out, glowing with the telltale sheen of an Iron Tail. His tails shot forward and dug underneath the road before whipping upward. With them, the tiles flew out in a number of unpredictable directions. Serperior, thanks to its more fluid body, was able to zip back and forth along the ground, though even that movement wasn't perfect as a stone hit it on the head.

"Use Slam!" Serperior finally raised itself up, while also accelerating enough to slam into Electivire with force. The Thunder Pokémon pitched backwards a little but was able to respond by hitting Serperior in its face with a well-timed Thunder Punch. "Ugh, grab his arm!"

"Perior," Serperior acknowledged, avoiding Electivire's next punch to latch itself on to Electivire's arm. The Electric type began waving its arm, attempting to throw the other Pokémon off of itself. Then Travis ordered a Leaf Tornado. Ash's fists clenched as he watched the cyclone blast outward. Electivire was flung into the air, whipped around by the cyclone, and the leaves sliced across every inch of his body. Judging from the look on Gary's face, though, their team seemed more annoyed and less hurt.

"Use your Iron Tail to latch onto the fountain and stabilize yourself," Gary commanded. Electivire nodded and one of its tails shot down like a cable, embedding itself into the base of the fountain. He immediately stopped blowing around in the wind and leaves, allowing him a chance to send his second tail down to strike Serperior across the face and bring an end to the unnatural tornado.

"Slam it again, already!" Travis cried apoplectically. It was almost like he was losing it; as though Travis couldn't comprehend the thought of losing whatsoever. What kind of environment did someone live in to become that way? No matter the reason, this time Electivire was waiting. As soon as Serperior made contact with his body, Electivire punched outwards with another commanded Thunder Punch. He didn't stop at just one and continued to pummel the Pokémon until it seemed to slump against the fountain.

"Use Wrap!" The harsh words may have acted as some sort of whip, because Serperior got up instantly and shot towards Electivire. The Thunder Pokémon readied another punch but found its arms and one of its tails secured by the Regal Pokémon. Electivire struggled, but realized quickly enough that it wasn't going to be breaking free any time soon. Serperior just squeezed harder.

"Calm down. Relax, Electivire," Gary said in an even tone. It told Ash that he was still in charge of this battle. Even Travis' next command didn't seem to change that state.

"Use Giga Drain." Serperior's entire body glowed a bright green and small tendrils appeared to shoot out from it, latching onto Electivire's body. The Electric type screamed out, and Serperior held fast to its foe. Gary looked unperturbed, but at this point, Ash wasn't sure if it meant he wasn't worried or just not showing it. The answer came moments later.

"Use your tails and grab Serperior," Gary finally ordered. Electivire seemed grateful to finally have something to do. Its free tail aimed at high speed towards its own body, whapping against Serperior. The Regal Pokémon didn't let go, but its hold over Electivire did loosen enough for the other tail to break free. With that done, both of his tails shot towards Serperior's tail, which was hanging out. They wrapped around it, and with a tremendous heave of strength, wrenched Serperior from its body with a great cry. Not needing any given command, Electivire swung its tails outward, carrying Serperior with them and crashing it into the nearby fountain.

It looked painful for the Grass type. Water sprayed all over the square, a lot of it on to the ground that Serperior was now thudding on, and some of it into the air like a geyser. That was saying nothing of the rubble that resulted from the attack. Stones blew every which way, scattering the ground and polluting the air with a plume of dust that covered both of the trainers. Serperior slowly slithered back into an upright position, although even Electivire was looking a little unsteady from the effects of Giga Drain.

"Use Leaf Tornado again! Get it into the air!"

"Protect!" The two attacks collided seconds after they were called: a blistering cyclone pitting itself against an indomitable green shield. Combined with the red glow of the nearly set sun, it was like something out of painting as the leaves dropped onto the puddle at the Pokémon's feet. Gary was watching the leaves fall and Ash could see the idea forming in his head. When he smirked that infamous smirk that Ash had once hated, he knew that Gary had this battle in the bag. "Step into the water, and then use Thunder Punch on the ground."

"Vire! Electivire…" Gary's Pokémon called back to him. He released the Protect and followed his trainer's orders. His fist began to spark with lightning as his foot splashed a small puddle into droplets that hung in the air, crackling with electricity. Then Electivire punched downward and the whole entire plaza exploded with lightning. Both of the trainers backed off, making sure that they weren't stepping in any water. Serperior wasn't nearly as lucky, as the widespread lightning traveled along the water and started shocking it without end. That was only half of Gary's plan.

"Motor Drive, huh?" Brock commented. "He's taken a leaf out of your book: using unorthodox strategies that involve the field."

"Nah, that's just Gary being Gary," Ash denied, though he couldn't deny the glow of receiving the praise. Meanwhile, Electivire's arms were rotating at a quick speed as it built the electric charge within itself.

"All right. Thunder Punch!"

"Dodge-" Electivire zoomed forward, almost ten times faster than he was just moments ago. Serperior wasn't even able to give a minute twitch when Electivire came in and punched the Pokémon. Serperior flew backwards and collapsed on top of Travis.

"Sorry, but I'm ending this. Thunder." Electivire's arms began to whirl again and Ash saw Travis struggling, his limbs flailing in every which direction as he tried to get free of the Pokémon he was underneath.

"Get off, you stupid…"

"Vire!" Electivire cried gleefully and he slammed his arms down. The great Thunder attack flashed down from the sky and impacted with Serperior and Travis. Ash flinched a little, knowing that the attack must have hurt, but at the same time feeling just a little satisfied. Maybe now Travis could understand the type of pain he inflicted on other Pokémon. Gary let out a sigh of relief and turned towards the screen. As if knowing they were watching, he offered a thumbs up.

They were one step closer to victory now.

* * *

"Cacturne, use Flash!" Cacturne stepped forward, filling the area with blinding light. Serena turned away, trying not to be blinded by the attack, but it wasn't doing much good. Even Clemont wasn't pulling out one of his inventions to protect them. Their Pokémon were faring even worse. While Flash was going off, they were just sitting out in the open for the taking.

"Night Slash," Christopher commanded quietly. Crawdaunt scuttled along the wet ground, its pincers glowing a dark and eerie purple before it went right in between Braixen and Luxray. Then it slashed and both Pokémon tumbled to the side. Unable to see, Crawdaunt continued its assault, slashing them once again. Then it grabbed them with its pincers and tossed them back towards their trainers. Serena knew she had to do something.

Braixen was shaking her head, as if trying to rid the blindness from her eyes. It was distressing to see her Pokémon in such a state, but the Fox Pokémon looked fine otherwise. That meant that she could fight. Serena would just have to be her eyes until the Flash effect wore off. She looked up, and saw that Clemont was doing the same thing. He stepped a little closer and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Cacturne looks pretty tired, and Crawdaunt seems to be doing most of the heavy lifting," he observed to her. She nodded. She had been noticing the same thing, while also taking note of the fact that Crawdaunt's attacks were just a little slower than they had been during the battle with Dawn. If they made the right use of their skills, both Pokémon could be taken out at once. "Let's combine our attacks as best as we can. You aim for Cacturne…"

"…and you for Crawdaunt," Serena finished for him. "Sounds good to me, but let's try to hit them both at once."

"It's like we read each other's minds…not that that's a thing," Clemont commented, straightening his backpack. Serena smiled at him; she liked having a friend by her side for the final phase of the battle.

"Of course not, Clemont," she said teasingly. "Now, Braixen, listen to my voice. Don't use your eyes, use your wand, okay?"

"Sen!" Braixen acknowledged, holding her wand out like a baton. Well, it was more like a walking stick than anything, but she was using it to make progress, taking slight steps forward. When her wand was finally centered on Cacturne, Serena ordered for Braixen to run full steam ahead at it. Crawdaunt appeared to notice it and began skittering towards the fire type.

"Luxray, switch to your X-Ray vision!" Luxray howled loudly and its eyes changed color. No doubt it was now taking full advantage of its unique vision. That was certainly one way to solve a blindness issue, because it worked to their advantage immediately. "Use Swift!"

"Okay, Braixen, combine with Flamethrower straight ahead!" Braixen complied right away and the jet of flame flew forth from her wand. Crawdaunt was close now, but since Braixen had gotten so close to Cacturne, it meant they were both in the line of fire from Luxray's Swift. The shining stars were on a rapid approach and once they struck Braixen's flames, they turned into flaming stars that exploded on the opposing Pokémon and the ground around them. Cacturne was pushed back, and it fell to one knee as its body erupted in flame. Crawdaunt wasn't done, and immediately began making its way back to Luxray. It was certainly one tricky Pokémon to face off against.

"Brick Break on Luxray!" Christopher said. His voice had gotten louder, a sure sign that he was no longer assured of his victory. Crawdaunt scuttled along and then leapt in the air, one of its pincers glowing a bright white and it came soaring down to hit Luxray.

"Use Thunder Fang!" Clemont ordered. Just before the Brick Break was about to hit, Luxray dodged to the side, its tail whipping just a little to distract Crawdaunt by hitting it in the face. Then Luxray pounced as its electrified fangs sank into Crawdaunt and zapped the Rogue Pokémon. Crawdaunt twitched as the lightning coursed through its body before Luxray tossed Crawdaunt away, where it impacted with Cacturne. It was now Serena's turn to act.

"Trap them with a pillar of a Fire Spin!" Serena called out. While their enemy's Pokémon were recovering Braixen whirled her stick in her hand and then swung it downward. Underneath Cacturne and Crawdaunt's feet erupted a pillar of flame that spun around them without giving a single opening. If they wanted out, they would have to take the damage. Braixen also seemed to have finally recovered from the Flash, letting Serena know this by giving a curt smile.

"We never thought this'd be easy," Christopher said. Bethany nodded, her lips in a tight line that showed displeasure with the current result. "Can I ask you two something?"

"Uh…now isn't the right time," Clemont answered, his mind obviously still focused on the battle at hand. Serena, however, threw her hand out to let Clemont know that this was clearly a conversation they needed to have. Team Ketchum and Team Brutal…no, it was simply trainer to trainer.

"Why did you participate? What goal did you have?" Christopher asked. Serena looked at both of her opponents. She'd only thought about the answer to that a few times, and most of the time she would have said that every reason was for Ash. But now, after having battled through five grueling days of the competition, she had a better answer with certainty.

"For some new experience," she answered him resolutely. "Nothing we do is a waste. You must have had your own reasons, right?"

"Of course we do!" Bethany snapped, her eyes flicking back and forth between Serena and the still swirling wall of flame. "But we're not as naïve as all that. We had to work to get here."

"So did we," Clemont responded. "No one's road is easy. Everyone brings their own dreams into the arena, and each of us has walked a long road."

"I thought as much…" Christopher said with a nod, as though their responses were something he predicted in the first place. "Well, then I guess this last move will decide it all."

"Before that, can I ask for your reasons? Why are you in the tournament? What reason do you have for treating Pokémon the way you do?" Serena said, feeling bolder in the face of the conclusion to their battle. Christopher gave a light nod.

"I don't approve of Seamus and Travis' barbaric methods. I simply wanted to compete in a tournament. Our town was too small to have any real tournaments. I wanted to just experience that rush, but my parents wouldn't let me go without my friends. In order to travel, I had to adhere to the rules; the rules of strength that Travis and Seamus set down that if you lose, you're out. Something they developed when Travis lost to only Seamus. They tolerated nothing because they were aiming for something greater, supposedly. And Beth…she just wanted to travel with us, her friends."

"Stop talking, Chris. I don't like it when you get this chatty," Beth said, placing a hand on Christopher's shoulder. The way she held herself was sad and the tender look in Christopher's eyes reminded Serena of Ash. There was something greater between the two of them: kinder souls in a world of hurt. "Let's end this!"

"Yes. Use Crabhammer." At long last, the finale of their battle was resuming and Crawdaunt slashed downward with its white pincer. The fire opened a path that both of Team Brutal's Pokémon jumped out of. Now free, Crawdaunt aimed right for Braixen with its attack.

"Luxray, use Wild Charge!"

"And Braixen, Fire Blast! Let's go!" Serena screamed loudly. Braixen twirled its wand and sent the five-pointed flames hurtling in Cacturne and Crawdaunt's direction. At the same moment, Luxray was dashing forward on all fours, its body positively brimming with electricity as it slammed into the flames. Those flames licked at Luxray's body for a brief moment before combining with the electricity to create a dazzling display of red and yellow, reminiscent of the sun at the moment. Serena was still worried. Cacturne wasn't moving, and while it may have been hindered by the burn that Braixen had given it, Serena had a feeling that it wasn't planning on doing anything good. That sinking feeling was confirmed a moment later.

"Destiny Bond on Luxray," Bethany said solemnly. It sounded more like she had come to some unfortunate and foregone conclusion. Cacturne's body glowed with a sickly purple light just as Luxray's combination attack struck head on, resulting in a massive explosion. When the dust that had come about faded, Crawdaunt was down and Cacturne was just falling to the ground. The second it did, a purple haze suddenly puffed up from its body. Serena watched, slightly mystified, as the purple haze floated over to Luxray and surrounded him. There was just a second of silence, and then Luxray collapsed, taken out of the competition.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Harry Kalas screamed over the monitors. "Team Brutal is four members down, leaving only Seamus against the three remaining members of Team Ketchum!"

"So…just Seamus is left," Christopher said. He didn't sound all that surprised, or even upset about the result. "Hmm, do your best Team Ketchum. Seamus isn't one to show mercy, as you know, and I think he's got a particular bone to pick with you." Serena could do nothing but nod as she looked at the final results on the screen for the moment.

TEAM KETCHUM 35

TEAM BRUTAL 30

It was a five-point difference, enough of a cushion that one could certainly say that Team Ketchum would win. Even if it was Seamus they were up against, three on one could most certainly guarantee a victory. Or, so Serena would have said, if she wasn't looking at the point totals. For every trainer they defeated, they gained a point, but if they lost trainers, they would lose a point. That mean that Seamus could gain three points and they could lose three points. The end result…

"He could have a victory of one point," Clemont concluded as Serena arrived at the realization. Were Seamus to take all three of them out, Team Brutal would jump to 33 and Team Ketchum would fall to 32, resulting in Brutal's ultimate victory. The sun disappeared now, beyond the horizon, bathing the city in starlight.

Then came the cry for battle.

"I've been waiting, Ash Ketchum!" Seamus' voice called out, only it sounded like it was everywhere at once. Mostly because it was. Serena's eyes snapped up to one of the monitors, now fully illuminated in the nighttime and she saw an image of the coliseum. Standing there in the center was Seamus, looking completely rested and ready to go with Alakazam by his side. As if that weren't enough of a clue, Alakazam's body sent a burst of electricity up into the sky, visible through the whole city. It was a simple statement. "Come and get me!"

Serena stood there a moment, watching the screen. Then she closed her eyes. This was it. Endgame. Knowing this, she set her face into a determined expression and turned to Braixen. "Let's go."

"Me, too," Clemont said, sidling up to her side. "I may be out, but we're still a team, right?"

"Of course we are, Clemont," Serena said. She then gave a quick high five to the inventor and they set off through the dark city. None of the lights had come on, and with no moon in the sky, they had only the stars and the monitors to light their way. Thankfully, Serena had studied the city map well enough to be able to find her way to the coliseum without a problem. Before long, they had reached the stairs going up…

…and they weren't alone.

"So, we're all here," Brock said. He was holding onto Ash, who looked rather exhausted. Nonetheless, the raven-haired trainer offered Serena a dazzling smile. "It's time for you guys to finish the final round."

"We've got this," Gary told him. There were no more words to be said. The five trainers proceeded up the stairs slowly, each of them feeling a slowing of their movements, along with their Pokémon. There was no need to rush, however; Seamus would be waiting for them. Serena felt herself sweating as she walked over the threshold to the coliseum, and she wiped the sweat away. Ash took the lead, detaching himself from Brock who fell to the sides and back, along with Clemont. Gary and Serena both moved forward to stand by Ash's side.

Serena looked to Ash and noted how tired he was looking, but Greninja wore the same expression of defiance and determination that defined them both so well. It was the very thing that made her love Ash, and even if now wasn't the time to confess yet, she still reached out and took his hand. He turned to look at her and smiled, squeezing her hand back. He didn't let go as they entered their waiting room and their footsteps echoed around the empty space. Beyond those walls, she could hear the repressed murmur of the crowd's voices and they all moved forward, into that final corridor.

This was the final battle.

The light of the coliseum was practically blinding in the darkness, and as Serena felt her first steps hit that coliseum dirt, the roars returned, along with the faceless mass of the crowd. Not that everyone was faceless: a number of the defeated teams' members were back in the crowd, watching the final confrontation. Serena also saw Bonnie up above along with all their Pokémon. She was cheering loudly, with Pikachu leading the cheer himself. That didn't stop the honey-blonde from noticing the little girl's nervousness. Finally, their team pulled to a stop before Seamus. Everyone in the coliseum went silent as Ash and Greninja stepped forward.

"Why me?" he asked. It was a simple question. Seamus quirked his head to the side and smirked. For a brief moment, it looked like he wouldn't answer.

"Because you're Ash Ketchum," he answered. "That's it, really."

"That's the lamest logic I've ever heard," Gary countered with a scoff. Seamus shrugged, obviously not caring about Gary's opinion.

"Do you know what the first battle I ever saw on television was? Your battle in the Orange League against Drake. It was spectacular, and it made me want to be a trainer. I thought, 'that's a great trainer'. Then, you only placed eighth in the Silver Conference. It was like a blow to the gut to me. You blathered on about some friendship and bonds with your Pokémon. That's when I realized, it wasn't the way to go…not for my dream."

"That's twisted logic," Gary commented once again.

"I followed your pathetic career, and you never again won a League," Seamus spat, now sounding angry. "So, when I heard you were taking part in this thing, I had to see just how far someone like you had fallen. You beat me in the tag battle, though. That was a setback, but when I beat you, the one who defeated a Darkrai and a Latios, all the Frontier Brains, I'll show that I'm better. Those hicks back home will finally treat me like the celebrity I was meant to be!"

"You sound delusional," Serena snapped to Seamus. He seemed to ignore her, until she and Braixen stepped forward to be even with Ash. "But…we're all here to fight. So, if a fight against Ash is what you want, then you get all of us, too."

"Fine by me, loser."

"Hey," Ash said darkly, cracking his knuckles a little, "I still don't get why you wanted to get me. Just don't call Serena a loser. She's more of a trainer than you'll ever be."

"I'd say any spectator here is," Gary elaborated, himself also stepping forward. Seamus dropped the smirk and began to scowl.

"Enough talk. Are you gonna battle me, or what?"

None of the trainers gave a response. They just waited as the audience held its collective breath. Ash's foot shifted loudly on the ground and Serena knew that was the call to battle.

"Greninja, use Double Team!" Greninja sprung into the air and multiple clones of the Water Pokémon appeared in the air. At the same time, Serena ordered Braixen to blast a Flamethrower at Alakazam, and Electivire did the same with a Thunder.

"Divert them," Seamus ordered sharply. Alakazam moved its hands around its face, its spoons bending slightly. Serena's eyebrow raised up as their attacks were surrounded by a blue light; it was the same light that was shining in Alakazam's eyes. Then, both attacks rushed away from Alakazam and were diverted to the stadium's walls.

"Water Shuriken barrage!" Ash yelled. Serena could feel a burst of wind rustling from above and felt some drops of water on her skin. Up above them, all of the Greninja clones were all holding onto their Water Shuriken before launching them forward. Alakazam was still in the middle of diverting the other attacks and the Water Shuriken found its mark, slamming powerfully into Alakazam. Its Psychic attack ended and Alakazam was tossed backward.

"Shock Wave!" Seamus yelled. A blue electrical aura surrounded Alakazam as it landed on its feet. Then the electricity blasted outward in a wide arc. Electivire remained standing, taking the electricity like it was a fine meal, and since Greninja was still in the air, it managed to avoid the attack completely, only its copies fading. Instead, Alakazam pointed its spoons at Braixen and the majority of the electricity surged towards the Fox Pokémon.

"Dodge!" Serena yelled, but her cry was in vain. Braixen was already tired from the multiple battles she had fought that day and the Shock Wave struck her, illuminating her orange and red body with a frightening blue. She screamed out in pain, and Alakazam was on the move again.

"Use Drain Punch," Seamus commanded, his voice having returned to normal levels now that he seemed to be in control. Greninja landed lightly and turned to face Alakazam, who was rushing at him, in a defensive pose. Serena's eyes flitted between her own Pokémon and the impending clash between Greninja and Alakazam. Braixen was shaking a little, but seemed to still be in the fight, and more than determined to pay Alakazam back. Knowing that her Pokémon was fine gave Serena peace of mind and she turned her head back in time to see Electivire zip in front of Ash's defensive Greninja. Motor Drive had evidently been activated.

"Protect both of you, now!" Gary said. His voice was raised, but he was hardly panicking in the situation.

Electivire's arms flew out and the green orb that was the Protect shield surrounded both the Thunder Pokémon and Greninja. Alakazam's fist collided with the Protect, its hands still clasping its spoons, and it bounced off, unable to break through with its attack. Serena sighed in relief, grateful that Alakazam wasn't given the chance to recover. She also took it as her attempt to attack, as did Ash, who was still standing next to her.

"Braixen, use a spinning Fire Blast!" Serena called out, throwing her left hand into the air. At the same time, Ash threw his right hand out and their palms touched. In that moment, Serena felt the only right thing to do was lock her fingers with Ash as they chose to combine their attacks.

"Greninja, throw your Water Shuriken in between the gaps of Fire Blast!" Ash yelled out. Greninja used Electivire's shoulders and leapt high into the air, tossing the shuriken with perfect placement. Together the fire and water blend spun on its course for Alakazam. As it spun, the two attacks created steam that concealed Alakazam from view. It also prevented the Psi Pokémon from intercepting the attack when it couldn't see it coming. The only reason that Serena knew it had hit was the column of fire and steam that erupted from where she supposed Alakazam was.

"Energy Ball, Alakazam!" Seamus ordered from within the steam, and Serena heard him give a snap of his fingers. Nearby, Greninja shifted into a defensive stance once more as the steam began to clear. The second it had faded from the field, all four trainers could catch sight of the large green projectile on a crash course for Greninja.

"Knock it back with Cut!" Ash ordered, pumping his fist in victory. Greninja held its webbed hand in front of himself and summoned the white blade, thin as a needle. As soon as the Energy Ball was within range, Greninja struck at it and managed to hold it in place. The connecting attacks were crackling with green sparks and Alakazam's attack appeared to start becoming unstable from the way it was shrinking and expanding. After a tense moment, Greninja gained the upper hand and flung the Energy Ball back at its user. "Aerial Ace!"

"Use Shock Wave again!" This time, Greninja was right within the range of Alakazam's attack. The blue sparks of electricity soared outward. Serena cringed as Braixen, with all of her exhaustion, was hit by the electricity. Greninja was less lucky than he had been the previous times, the attack zapping straight through him.

"We're not giving up! Come on, Greninja! We're growing stronger together, so push through it!"

"Greninja!" the Ninja Pokémon cried out and Serena (along with the rest of the audience) witnessed a feat of determination that even she hadn't seen before. Despite the blue electricity pulsing through his body, Greninja pushed forward and slammed right into Alakazam with its glowing blue cross of Aerial Ace, leaping back once the attack was complete. After putting distance between himself and the Psychic type, Greninja dropped to one knee. Ash let go of Serena's hand and ran over to him. Gary stepped forward to take his place.

"Use Iron Tail from above," Gary ordered. Electivire, whose speed had been increased a ridiculous amount from Motor Drive, practically vanished, and even Alakazam was hard-pressed to find him.

"Don't focus on it. Take that Braixen out with Psychic!"

"Braixen, use Hidden Power!" Serena cried out. Braixen raised her wand and the silver orbs appeared, whirling around its tip. Before it could fire those orbs, Braixen's body glowed blue. Serena wanted to close her eyes and look away, but she knew that she couldn't. So, she watched on with determination to see this through to the end. Braixen turned her head, and just smiled. There was no blame given to her trainer in losing the battle, and Serena felt Braixen had done the best she'd ever done.

Then she was slammed to the side and Braixen crumpled to the ground after hitting the wall.

A moment later, Electivire had reappeared above Alakazam and slammed onto its head with its Iron Tail. A shudder passed through Alakazam's body and its feet actually sunk into the ground a little, causing a small depression from the force it was experiencing. Electivire once more disappeared and reappeared by Greninja's side.

"Let's team up for real this time, Ashy-boy," Gary said, raising his hand to his friend. Ash smirked back at him and both gave each other a high five before facing forward. Serena smiled at the warming scene. Two trainers working together, their Pokémon having full trust in their trainers and vice versa to lead each other to victory.

"Greninja, throw your Water Shuriken!"

"And Electivire, charge them up with Thunder Punch!" Both Pokémon roared out their approvals as Greninja tossed the liquid weapons forward with accuracy. Alakazam was still recovering from the massive blow that Electivire had delivered it. The Thunder Pokémon wasn't going to give it a chance to breathe as it punched forward with its crackling and electrified fist. The sparks of electricity flew out and charged up the Water Shuriken, conducting the current just fine as it struck Alakazam's chest. The Psi Pokémon flew back, but Serena noticed that it was now free of being trapped.

"Get Greninja with Energy Ball!" Even from midair, Alakazam's eyes glowed blue and it righted itself into the right position for taking aim. Once it had done that, Alakazam once more fired off an Energy Ball, but it was faster than it was before. Greninja wouldn't be able to use the same strategy, or even dodge it. Judging from the distressed look on Ash's face, he knew this too.

So, Gary ordered Electivire to take the hit.

There was no time to put a Protect up, so it just zipped over with its high speed and allowed itself to be nailed by the Energy Ball. That wasn't the only one, however, as Alakazam kept up its veritable barrage of Energy Balls until, finally, the green haze of smoke that resulted from the impact faded. Electivire teetered a moment and then fell backward.

"This is it, folks!" Kalas' voice roared out to the now silent crowd. "Only two Pokémon remain! Ash's Greninja against Seamus' Alakazam. Winner take all! This is the final battle of the Kalos Team Tournament!"

"Finally," Seamus spat. "You're finished, Ash Ketchum!"

"Not a chance! Greninja," Ash said calmly. The frog turned and nodded his head, showing complete confidence in his trainer. Serena balled her fists and silently made a wish that Ash would pull through. "We're in this together, until the end."

"Greninja!" Greninja bellowed in response. Once more, light burst forth as Ash and Greninja raised their fists to the heavens. Serena knew exactly what was happening, and had likely happened during the entire day, as Ash and Greninja synched up once again. When the light faded, Seamus and his Alakazam were wearing dumbfounded expressions and Ash was breathing heavily. This time, Greninja wasn't fully protected by his flickering water. It looked like the whole event was taking a strain on his body. Serena now turned to praying that he would last.

"Use Aerial Ace!"

"Counter with Drain Punch!" A vortex formed around Alakazam's fist, as though it were going to suck the very life from something, which was its purpose, of course. At the same time, Greninja sailed forward, his blue cross shaped Aerial Ace driving forward. Seconds later, the two attacks collided, creating a small explosion. Serena watched in worry, but soon noticed that despite the draining effect of Drain Punch, Alakazam was taking far more damage than it was gaining back in energy.

"Get back and use Water Shuriken!" Greninja, flipped at Ash's command, his legs smacking Alakazam's face as he jumped backwards. The honey-blonde Performer watched as both Ash and Greninja threw their hands out, and Greninja's Water Shuriken appeared again, even larger than before. They also moved faster when he threw them, tossing Alakazam backwards to where the Psi Pokémon landed on its back. It got back up, though, and Seamus ordered another Shock Wave. Ash and Greninja appeared prepared and Greninja jumped up, the electricity pulsing only through the droplets of water left behind from his body. "Now, finish this with Cut!"

"Gren…" Greninja croaked out loudly, calling forth its blade once more. Seamus just stopped moving and Serena looked at him to see that he couldn't even manage to give any commands to his Pokémon. The only action Alakazam took was holding his spoons in front of himself to guard against the attack. Greninja shot forward and in the blink of an eye, he had rushed right past Alakazam.

A few seconds passed, and in that eternity a number of things happened. First, the changes on Greninja's body vanished and Ash dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. Serena automatically closed the distance between them. Then Greninja appeared to grin underneath his tongue as he sheathed his Cut attack like it was a blade. In the final second, Alakazam's body went rigid and then it fell, crashing to the ground with an enormous thud.

It was over.

The Kalos Team Tournament was over. And Kalas said as much.

"IT'S OVER!" he roared and the entire crowd lifted itself into a scream that could probably be heard in the next city. "The winner of this year's Kalos Team Tournament is TEAM KETCHUM!"

"Yes! Great job, Ash!" Serena heard May scream from the crowd.

"I told you, May! No need to worry!" Dawn cried out too. Looking up into the crowd, Serena saw the two Coordinators embracing, tears coming from their eyes. They may not have won, but they were jubilant all the same. Serena watched the crowd as she swiveled around. Conway was nodding approvingly, and Sawyer was jumping up and down. In Team Performer's section, Aria was smiling down fondly along with Nini.

"Great job, Serena! You won!" Shauna screamed as she and her two male friends ran down to the field.

"And you looked great doing it, too!" Tierno said happily, spinning around and landing on one knee. His coordination was a little off in the moment and he pitched forward, himself and his two friends landing in a pile. Serena just giggled a giggle that turned into full-on laughing when she saw all of Ash's Pokémon making a beeline for his exhausted form.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled out. He was the first to leap onto his trainer in glee, though Talonflame, Noibat and Hawlucha were soon to follow. Even Greninja joined in on the silliness. Then Serena felt Pancham land on her head and Sylveon tug at her side. Even Braixen was back up, smiling at her as she joined her trainer and the rest of her teammates in a group hug.

"You won, Clemont! Yay!" Bonnie cheered ecstatically. "But why were you taken out before the end? That's kind of lame, big brother."

"You can't help it if you're hit by a Destiny Bond," Clemont whined in defense to his sister. Bonnie didn't care as she and Dedenne leapt onto him, tackling him to the ground. It was a nice sight.

"You didn't do too bad, Serena," called another voice from nearby and Serena smiled over to Miette. The bluenette walked forward and held her hand out. Serena took it, and then Miette pulled her in, away from her Pokémon. "I'm still not giving up, though, on the Master Class or Ash. I just wanted to acknowledge that you did a good job."

"Thanks, Miette," Serena said sincerely. She turned her head to the side as she saw Ash attempting to get up from underneath his Pokémon. "And…I'm not giving up, either."

"Good to hear it," Miette said, and the two rivals separated. Even with Miette's attempted threats of stealing Ash's heart, Serena wasn't worried. Nothing could wipe the smile from her face, even the sight of Seamus in total disbelief on the floor of the coliseum.

"I…I lost…like this…" he said, his harsh whisper of disbelief heard even over the chattering and cheering crowd. Serena, feeling just a little sorry for his sad state, detached herself from her Pokémon and walked forward to him. Courage welled up inside her, and she did exactly what Ash would have done if he wasn't buried underneath his mountain of Pokémon.

"It's okay to lose," she said. "Losing can make you a kinder and stronger person."

"No, it doesn't," Seamus spat. "It just reminds you of your own weakness."

"Then trust in your Pokémon to cover for that weakness," Serena said kindly, holding a hand out to the dejected Seamus. He looked at it with near disgust, but she didn't retract it. "Your Pokémon aren't tools. If you stop looking at them as that, then you'll see the wealth of knowledge they have. They'll help you reach your goals. You wanted to be famous, right? Have you ever thought that, if you shared it with them, your Pokémon might want to as well?"

Seamus blinked, as though he wasn't comprehending what she was saying. "Tch…why do people like you have to take the high road? I…"

"You can still change," Serena told him with a smile. "Go on. Talk with Alakazam. I'm sure you both would love to walk that road together."

"Kazam," grunted out the Psi Pokémon, who was now getting to his feet. Seamus looked over to his Pokémon and watched as Alakazam limped over and placed a spoon softly against his trainer's head. Seamus wasn't sure what to make of it, but he didn't recoil, either. That was a step forward.

Now, Serena needed to make another step of her own.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Harry said enthusiastically to the crowd, "let's get our combatants some food and drink. If you'll join me in the reception hall of Ancien Castle!"

"Serena," Ash suddenly said and the girl in question jumped a little. She turned to face him as he had come close to her and two brilliant smiles met each other. In that moment, Serena remembered the way it had felt, his hand in hers as they commanded their Pokémon. It had been such a perfect fit. "You…said you wanted to tell me something when it was over?"

Serena's smile dropped, but her heart soared; he had remembered. So, she took a step closer, prepared to say the very thing that was in her heart, and had been since they'd reunited but had only grown from there. "Ash, I…I'm…"

And the stadium suddenly went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Whew! What a collection of battles this chapter! I really hope that you enjoyed all of them after all the ridiculous amount of planning I did. It's okay if you didn't but I'd like to think they were some of my greatest battles yet, with a rather triumphant finish, no? With that, the tournament is over…yet given my nasty little cliffhanger there, what is going to happen to our heroes on this dark night? Next chapter begins what I will view as the most intense moments of this story. So, please stay tuned!
> 
> Two quick notes: 1) Softboiled, in the anime it can work on either Chansey or a target, so…that's why I did it that way. 2) Ash-Greninja: we obviously have no idea yet as to how it really works, so everything with multiple changes and the water cyclone was pure speculation taken from what we know so far. So, that's all that.
> 
> Every review you write and opinion you share with me keeps my fire for this story burning strong. So, until the next chapter comes, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	17. A Villain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we embark upon the final phase of this story. Looking back, we've really come a long way in such a short time. Thank you for staying with me! Now, please enjoy Chapter 17 with me!

Chapter 17

A Villain

"Uh…why's it all dark?" Ash's voice said from next to her, although Serena couldn't see him. In fact, she couldn't see anything. There were no lights on in the stadium, and judging from how pitch black it was, she wondered if there were any lights on in the city at all. "Is this part of the celebrations?"

"I don't think so, Ashy-boy," Gary said. Like Ash, Serena had heard him perfectly clearly, but couldn't see him. Unlike her raven-haired crush, she couldn't even tell where Gary was. The only thing she could feel was her Pokémon as Sylveon led Braixen and Pancham over to her.

"I wonder what's going on…" Serena said, hoping that someone, somewhere could answer her question. Her heartrate was spiking in that moment, even more than it had in the tournament. She had just been about to confess her deepest feelings to Ash only for this to happen. If she were a superstitious individual, Serena would have taken that as a sign that she and he weren't meant to be together.

Unfortunately, she wasn't superstitious and felt it was, instead, an omen of something much worse. Next to her, Braixen lit her wand and the flame that burgeoned into existence gave a soft glow to the surrounding area. She wasn't the only one to have the idea as other Fire types near them like May's Blaziken and Trevor's Charmeleon were also lightning up, allowing at least some of the arena to be seen. Serena looked around, trying to get her bearings since the light had gone out and noticed that every screen in the arena was dead. They hadn't exploded or anything, but there wasn't even a blip of static on them.

In the stands above, some of the spectators had left the stands, but a majority of them were all just standing around, confusion consuming the masses. It was clear that a number of them thought like Ash had, as if it were all part of the competition. Clearly, though, it wasn't. Serena's gaze turned back to Ash and Gary, who she could now see. On top of that, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock were also coming to join them. The honey-blonde instantly turned to her inventor friend.

"Do you have any idea what's going on, Clemont?" she asked him. If anyone knew about whatever technical malfunctions were going on, it would be him. He just shook his head. Worried and bamboozled murmurs rose up from the trainers that were in the arena, and as it grew in noise, Serena began fearing that a riot might start up.

"I wonder if it's the same throughout the city?" Clemont asked, adjusting his glasses a little.

"It is," called Dawn's voice as she and Piplup stumbled over to them. The poor penguin still looked quite tired, if comfortable, in his trainer's arms. May had approached with them, increasing the radius of their light. The two foreign Coordinators weren't alone, either, having been joined by the rest of their team along with Miette, Nini, Conway, Sawyer and Aria, whose Delphox also added to the ring of light. Their little group seemed to become a beacon for all the approaching trainers from the tournament. "I sent Togekiss up, and from what it seemed, the whole city is pitch black. The screens, the lights…everything."

"What about the castle?" Brock asked. His voice was so dark and unexpected that he drew the majority of the trainers' eyes. Serena was one of the first to look at him, and her eyes widened at just what he was implying.

"Talonflame, I choose you! Check out the castle!" Ash cried out, letting Talonflame launch off from his shoulder. Talonflame gave a screech and took to the air, rising towards the top of the stadium. Next to Serena, Miette was tapping her foot, looking very pensive.

"What's this about the castle?" she asked of Serena.

"It was broken into a couple days ago," Serena told her rival. "I don't know what for, but maybe it's connected to this power outage. You don't have any ideas, do you?"

"None at all," Miette said with a frown. Next to her, even Slurpuff looked dejected at not having any thoughts. In the golden glow of their Pokémon's fire, Serena watched Aria approach Brock gracefully.

"You're having a thought," Aria said to him seriously. "I think it would be interesting to hear what exactly is on your mind." Brock looked downward just a little to survey the Kalos Queen, who was still dressed in her disguise for the competition. Serena was a little surprised he didn't start hitting on her the second she spoke to him.

"If the castle was broken into, and this power outage is connected to it…then it stands to reason that the castle might be operational or play a part in all of this," Brock told her. She nodded, absorbing his words before voicing some thoughts of her own.

"Then it may be an attack," she said. "I'm not all that surprised: the Kalos Team Tournament generates a lot of press from around the region. Any criminal syndicate may want to take advantage of that, and the castle may be the main point of attack. After all, it is the landmark of Ancien City besides the coliseum."

"What?" Ash said, whipping around to face her. "If there's gonna be an attack then we should all get ready, right?"

"Let's not be too quick to judge," Gary snapped, grabbing the back of Ash's jacket and yanking him back. "We don't want to start a panic. I don't think it's just a simple malfunction either, but that's no reason to make everyone here think that. Each of us and our Pokémon are exhausted, and to cause a complete panic in the crowd would do more harm than good. Let's wait for Talonflame to return."

"I seriously doubt there's any need for  _you_  to cause a panic," said a familiar voice. Serena and the other trainers turned to see Bethany leading a procession of Rocky and Christopher behind her. "Something seems to be happening on the edge of the city, around the square. We only came here when we saw it after the lights all shut off."

"Creepy green glow," Christopher said. His eyes appeared to slide off to the side and Serena followed them to the still kneeling Seamus. It was odd that Travis was nowhere to be seen in all this. Rocky huffed and stepped forward. He was still as abrasive as ever, but he made his way quickly to Ash, holding a hand out.

"Let's make peace," he said. Ash, being Ash, didn't hesitate to shake it with a grin. "I'm getting the feeling we're in for a completely different kind of battle. You'll fight, too, Seamus, right?"

"Whatever," the irritable blond spat out. "What is there to fight, anyway?"

"Whatever's out there is coming for this stadium," Bethany said. She was the one pushing the rest of the crowd aside as she stepped up to Seamus and hauled him to his feet by his collar. He refused to look her in the eyes. "You're a trainer, aren't you? Or is your loss of potential fame so devastating to you that you can't admit you were wrong?"

"Get your hands off me, Beth," Seamus spat, but Bethany didn't let go. Instead she moved backward and slammed her former team member against the stadium wall.

"No! Accept the loss, choke it down!" Bethany screamed. "If you can't accept that then-"

"Everyone, cut it out!" Gary yelled to the two quarreling trainers. His voice wasn't heard as Serena noticed every trainer getting on pins and needles.

"Am I the only one that thinks the big bullies shouldn't be giving orders?" Bonnie asked, sticking her tongue out at Christopher. The older trainer didn't even react. "Clemont, let's not listen to the meanies."

"Bonnie, I know they were mean, but this isn't really the time to…" Clemont tried arguing with his sister, but his words were drowned out by other trainers beginning to argue amongst themselves.

"It does seem rather pointless to have trainers like yourselves involved in whatever is going on," Conway observed. "How can trainers who mistreat their Pokémon ever be able to lead very well? It defies logic."

"I didn't see your logic beating me out there, today," Rocky threw back at Conway. Despite Conway's laid back nature, he still stepped forward to engage in what would likely be a heated debate with the other trainer. Sawyer quickly tried to insert himself between the two but he was so diminutive, he was practically lost in the sea of voices.

"You guys are acting like children," Miette sighed out from next to Serena. She couldn't help but agree with that assessment. Some of the trainers were near to doing just what Bethany had done to Seamus, who was slumped against the wall in a rather apathetic state. Whether it was an argument of ideology about Team Brutal, or about who should take charge (some would say themselves, others would say Team Ketchum, or even every man for himself), or maybe it was one trainer having a beef with another about getting defeated in the tournament.

 _So much for teamwork…_ Serena thought to herself sardonically. Her gaze was lifted to the sky, and her eyes narrowed a little. Something was very, very odd about the sky above. There were the stars, although one particular set of stars was much brighter than usual. Serena guessed that this was the Draco constellation. More than that, though, only those stars were actually providing the light to the area, which would have made it beyond pitch dark without their Pokémon. It hit Serena seconds later that there was no moon. This was starting to be made all the more apparent by the ominous cloud overhead…a cloud with a slight tint of green…and it was squirming. Serena's stomach felt like sinking.

The trainers surrounding them were getting louder now, except for a select few that weren't arguing. Serena tried to keep close to them, which included Ash, Brock and Aria (seeing as Clemont was too busy trying to hold Bonnie back from making things worse). She felt one of Sylveon's tendrils wrap around her arm and hold her back. Her Pokémon was shivering. Serena turned, getting a very quick view of the crowd in the stands as the confusion was fading and was starting to give way to panic. This was getting worse by the second…

"Syl…Sylveon…" mewled the Intertwining Pokémon at her side. Serena looked down and saw how frightened she looked, even more spooked than when Chespin would approach her as an Eevee. Braixen and Pancham weren't much better, the both of them shaking as well. Serena kneeled down to their level.

"Don't worry, you guys, we'll figure this out," she said kindly. The words appeared to soothe her Pokémon, but only for an instant. They still looked like something unearthly was going on. Serena turned back to Ash and the others, to find that even Pikachu was shaking on Ash's shoulder. Ash had picked up on it, too. "Guys, we have got to put a stop to this-"

_BOOM!_

A loud of explosion cut off any hope of response from her teammates (plus Aria). Serena pitched forward as the loud noise combined with the tremors rocked the coliseum. Her face quickly flew into Ash's chest and she heated up just a little bit as he grabbed her shoulders and helped her into an upright position.

"What is that…?" Aria breathed out, only heard by the few people around her. Serena directed her gaze to where Aria was pointing, which was in the direction of the castle. As Christopher had described, a faint green glow, combined with a fresh plume of smoke, was rising from the castle. Serena just couldn't understand what was going on, but knew that it couldn't be anything good.

"Brock…that looks a little familiar…" Ash said, scratching his head, as though he was wracking his brains to figure it out. "Not the same color but…"

"It looks almost like the start of…some kind of…dimensional rift…" Brock said, the awe in his voice both amazed and terrified. Suddenly, he whipped around and Serena went with him. A similar green glow was being exuded from the center of the city. If she had to wager a guess, Serena would have said that it was coming from the square, and the meteorite therein. At least the fighting amongst the trainers seemed to stop…although the crowd in the stands above was scrambling for every manageable exit. Serena even swore she heard a high pitched scream that sounded like it belonged to Kalas of all people.

"Dimensional rift…" Dawn said, her own eyes widening as Piplup climbed on top of her head. "This is definitely a time to worry."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu suddenly chattered out, pointing up at the sky. Serena joined Ash and the others in looking at the sky…

…and Talonflame came crashing down, smoking as he dropped.

"Talonflame, no!" Ash yelled out. He ran forward, and any trainers near him made a path for him as he dove across the ground to catch his faithful flyer. "Oh, no…what happened? Are you okay?"

"Let me take a look, Ash," Brock said, running to his friend's side. In that moment, Ash's old traveling companion really showed his expertise as a doctor while he whipped out a potion from his bag and sprayed it on Talonflame's wings, immediately looking the Pokémon over for any lasting damage.

"What caused that?" Aria asked, her eyed scanning the stands and the sky. Serena joined her in doing so, catching sight of Miette doing the same a small distance away. The three weren't alone, a number of trainers looking for what had so thoroughly devastated an unsuspecting Talonflame.

"Aria," Miette said. But it wasn't what she had said that had made Serena grow a pit of worry in her chest; it was all about how she had said it. For the first time since Serena had met Miette, the bluenette sounded…scared. "Isn't…why is Alice in the stands?"

Both Serena and the Kalos Queen turned to look into the stands. Most of the spectators were still trying to clear out, though the mass exodus was creating a stoppage at the exits. Amongst them, however, some people weren't moving. A few of them were sitting calmly on their seats, or leaning back nonchalantly. Most importantly were two rather familiar trainers that were dotting the coliseum's stands. Edwin was sitting hunched over, his own glasses glinting dangerously in the firelight in the stadium. Then there was Alice, who was sitting on Team Performer's old section, her legs dangling off over the stadium. She was tossing a pokeball into the air with an amused little smirk. It was completely unlike the way the girl had acted over the five days of the tournament.

Serena's eyes slid downward, scanning the rest of the trainers in the coliseum to see if any of them were acting strangely like those two were. Unfortunately, she found that two of them were: Jael and Kael were leaning against the walls next to their old waiting room entrance, like sentinels blocking others from leaving. Just what was happening now?

"T-Talon…" Talonflame suddenly coughed out, recovering from the attack that had taken it down. Serena decided to ignore the strange behavior of four of her previous rivals in the tournament and she ran to Ash and Brock's side.

"Talonflame, tell me what happened?" Ash cried out, the absolute worry shining through his voice. Talonflame was weak, but appeared to draw strength from his trainer's voice, raising a wing to point at the sky. The three trainers turned their vision upward. The cloud had now covered up the stars, leaving only the Draco constellation clear.

"That's not a cloud…" Brock gasped out. Serena could tell that was very true now: it was a horde…a horde of Dragon Pokémon. At the forefront was a great Salamence that was hurtling downward now.

"Sylveon, Pancham, Braixen, get close to me!" Serena yelled. Her voice must have knocked some sense into the rest of the dumbstruck trainers because they all told their own Pokémon to get close to them, as well. As the Salamence spun downward, a figure leapt off of its back, dropping into the golden ring of firelight and landing gracefully, as if they hadn't just dropped almost twenty feet.

"Hey there," the figure said in a decidedly feminine voice. As she said it, she raised her head and Serena got her first good look at the girl, offering a gasp. She recognized the girl, from the very first day they'd arrived at Ancien City. She was the very same girl that she'd bumped into at the coliseum lobby in her rush to tell Ash, Clemont and Bonnie about where to meet. Now that she was closer, her features were more defined: a teenaged girl with short black hair, and a wicked smirk to match. Most importantly was the small anklet that was glinting in the firelight.

"Who are you?" Ash asked, standing up as Talonflame seemed to regain some flight capability. "Are you the one who hurt Talonflame?"

The girl started clapping as she looked at Ash. The dread within Serena increased. "Nice job, Ash Ketchum! That last battle…you gave me shivers. And your Pikachu yesterday, brilliant!"

"What are you…?" Ash said, his lips flapping as he was at a loss for words.

"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself and  _my_  team. I'm Zinnia, leader of Team Draconid," the girl, Serena supposed she could call her Zinnia, said informatively. Serena stepped a little closer to Ash, her fingers practically brushing against his. On his shoulder, Pikachu's cheeks were sparking, as if he was gearing up for a battle. "Eddie, Ally, stop sulking up there! Come and join the celebration. I told you they'd win."

"Why are you like this, Zinnia?" Jael sighed out, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Seriously…whenever you think you've met a strong trainer, you get super giddy," Kael concurred with his brother. They sounded absolutely different from the silly, manly trainers they had been. They sounded mature, grizzled almost.

"Sorry, you know I've always been that way since we got to this point," Zinnia apologized to the brothers. As she was giving her apology, Alice and Edwin dropped down to the stadium floor. "So, here we are, best of the best in Ancien City at the moment. You guys gave me a great show, better than I thought."

"Do you have some kind of point? Or are you one of those people that blather on?" Seamus suddenly snapped from his place on the ground. Serena swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched Zinnia slowly turn on her spot to look at the blond. The smirk faded from her face as she did so.

"Quiet!" she said, only the voice was so harsh, it was like a branch snapping off a tree in a hurricane. Serena could feel her heart stop, just for a brief second, and the sound of her heart starting up again was thumping in her head. Zinnia raised her hand, pointing at Seamus, until she veered to the side and pointed at Alakazam. "I hate people like you."

She flicked her finger like it was snap, or an order.

"Druddigon," Jael said and a Pokémon appeared from within the darkness of the waiting room he was standing at, measuring up to his trainer's height.

"Haxorus," Kael also said, and a Pokémon of similar size came out along with the Druddigon. Then they both gave an order. "Dragon Claw."

It was fast, barely even a second by Serena's counting. One second, Alakazam was standing next to Seamus; the next, a pair of sickly green claws had driven it against the wall next to him. The resulting stones rained down over Seamus' head as he stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what had just happened. When he finally regained some presence of mind, he turned his head to see Alakazam on the ground, its body bent at an impossible angle and the coliseum wall above it was impacted with a crater. Serena just kept her eyes on Zinnia, the previous smirk now replaced with a look of absolutely cold precision. It was almost a look of hatred.

"Wha…? What did you do to my Alakazam?" Seamus yelled out, his voice going up an octave with fear. Zinnia continued to stare at him with those same cold, heartless eyes. Serena's legs started shaking, so totally eclipsed by fear. Sylveon tried to help her relax, but it didn't help at all.

"Why would you care?" Zinnia said coldly. "You only view Pokémon at tools, don't you?"

"How I raise my Pokémon has nothing to do-" Seamus couldn't finish his statement. Zinnia was too fast, as fast as Druddigon and Haxorus had been only moments ago. She had closed the gap, and clasped her hand dangerously around Seamus' throat, squeezing in on his windpipe. Seamus scrabbled to break free, his fingers dancing ineffectually across the surface of the girl's hands.

"I  _hate_  people like you," she repeated. No one in the coliseum made a move, too stunned by the physical feat she had just shown. "Salamence!"

A roar pierced the air and a sudden gust of wind blew through the circular arena. Serena watched as the Salamence from before sped downward and leveled out when it neared the stadium ground. Zinnia jumped upward, carrying Seamus with her as she stood atop her Salamence. The Dragon Pokémon took to the air again, the beating of its wings sending another powerful squall rippling across the area. Serena fell back and Ash managed to catch her as the two watched Salamence take to the air. When it reached a certain height, it stopped and Zinnia stepped forward to dangle Seamus over the edge. The blond spluttered incoherently, but his cries went unheard.

"People like you…people who mistreated Pokémon, who loved violence, thrived off of it…you're the ones who created the war that wiped my people off the map!" Zinnia roared, and even from that distance, Serena could see the ebony haired girl tightening her grip. "It's your fault for the absolute hell we lived in. How does it feel now, to get a taste of your own medicine?"

"Let him go!" Bethany yelled from nearby. Zinnia twitched her head down a little, enough to catch sight of her.

"Why? I'd have thought you, of all people, would appreciate seeing him suffer like this for making you release your Pokémon. Or are the people of this side always so contradictory?"

"That's not the point. You're killing him!" Bethany said, her yelling now turning to screaming. "Don't…no matter…he was still…my friend…"

"Poor taste in friends, then," Zinnia mocked sardonically, but there was no humor in her tone. "Have this piece of scum back, if you want it."

She let go of him, and Seamus fell down, hurtling on a twenty-foot drop to the stadium floor. Miette was the first to act. "Slurpuff, slow him down with Psychic."

"Puff!" Slurpuff said, its eyes glowing blue as it brought Seamus into a slow fall and let him rest quietly upon the ground. Brock, being the closest qualified to any kind of doctor, rushed to his side.

"Just unconscious," he told everyone. No one breathed in relief at this news, because the biggest threat was still looming above them.

"What's your deal?" Ash asked, stepping away from Serena. "What are you up to? And just who are you?"

"I told you," Zinnia said. Serena noticed that the smirk she had worn earlier was most definitely not coming back. "I'm Zinnia."

"What's that supposed to mean to us?" Ash yelled out. There was a hush at what he said, and all that could be heard was the flapping of Salamence's wings. Zinnia looked off into the distance, towards Ancien Castle, and sighed before answering.

"It means remembrance…" she said sadly.

"Zin," Edwin said harshly, but the black-haired Draconid ignored him.

"Remembrance of a dear friend…" she said, closing her eyes for just a moment. When what seemed to be a recollection passed, she turned back to Ash, staring straight into his eyes. "For me, though…it's always been remembering…

"Death."

Serena could feel it: there was a collective shuddering of breath, of fear, filling everyone there. It wasn't so much a statement, as it was a declaration. The only one who didn't seem frightened by such a notion was Ash, whose fists were shaking in barely repressed fury. Serena wanted to reach out to him and calm him down, but she felt rooted in place.

"I am Zinnia of the Draconid Clan," Zinnia declared as Salamence hovered upward. The cloud of Dragon Pokémon began to disperse above them, though that made it all the more frightening. "I am the Z to her A; the Omega to her Alpha. I am the End to her Beginning.

"You made it through the Tournament, trainers. But now you get to face your final opponents: my team. No…my army."

"Not today. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"CHUUUU!" Pikachu cried out, leaping from Ash's shoulder. His body was covered in a charge of electricity that blasted out in a singular bolt towards Zinnia and her Salamence. Said girl jerked her fingers and Salamence turned on a horizontal axis…yet Zinnia showed no danger of falling, as though she were magnetically attached to her Pokémon. Pikachu's Thunderbolt completely missed its target, surprising the electric mouse.

"Get him," Zinnia drawled. Salamence righted itself and this time aimed downward and right for Ash. Serena's eyes widened and she stepped forward to push him out of the way.

"Don't worry about me, Serena," Ash snapped at her. It was the first time he had so much as truly raised his voice at her. It scared her, if only because it spoke to how serious he was about this whole thing. She couldn't see his eyes from where she was standing, but she could guess as to the fear that was inside of them. "Pikachu, roll in midair and dodge."

"Pika!" Ash's best friend acknowledged. He twitched his tail roughly, and the force sent him into a midair barrel roll. Salamence went blasting past him, the roll making it barely miss hitting Pikachu. Greninja then leapt out of midair and caught Pikachu, bouncing back over to the steps in the stands as he held onto his comrade.

"Great job, Gren-oof!" Salamence had nailed Ash in the stomach with its wings and was now ascending once more. Serena watched the whole scene in horror, because as Salamence ascended, the horde of Dragon type Pokémon was descending into the coliseum, and screams of fear could be heard around the area.

"Sylveon, Fairy Wind!" Serena commanded, hoping to provide Ash some support from where she was. Sylveon danced forward and raised her feelers into the air. She then whipped them around and blasted the glittering pink gust of wind towards the attacking Dragonair that were aiming for them. Through the pink haze, Serena could see Ash slowly taking advantage of his new position by climbing on top of Salamence.

"Hawlucha, use High Jump Kick!" Ash screamed, his voice rising above everyone else. Meanwhile, Sylveon's Fairy Wind had made impact with their opponents. Some of the Dragonair were blown off course, while others were still aiming for them. In the midst of all this, Hawlucha was climbing on the steps of the stands before bounding into the air. His knee shone a brilliant white in the darkness and he slammed into Salamence's jaw. The Dragon Pokémon shook a little, but otherwise seemed unaffected.

"Braixen, use Fire Blast, and Pancham, create a wall around the trainers with Stone Edge," Serena ordered. Their first order was keeping everyone safe. She couldn't fight alongside Ash at that exact moment, but she could certainly do the next best thing. Casting her worried gaze on the boy, she noticed that he was now on top of Salamence. Clearly that beast of a Pokémon was even larger than its normal variety. To Serena's surprise, Ash was aiming right for Zinnia himself and taking a swing at her.

"Too slow," Zinnia sang out, dodging the punch gracefully and grabbing his other hand. Ash gave off a gut wrenching cry as she pinned his arm to his back, drawing him close. "Come on…I know you're better than that…I've been watching you the last five days."

"Gah…now, Talonflame!" Ash cried out. As the row of stones that Pancham was creating erected a barrier around the now clustering trainers, Talonflame swooped upward, spun around and blazed forward. His whole entire body burst into flames as he zoomed in on Zinnia. The black-haired girl let go of Ash and pushed him away in order to dodge the flaming bird. Ash backpedaled, almost slipping off of Salamence's hide. Serena's heart clenched in worry, until he managed to get a grip on Salamence's leg. Then he pulled himself up again.

"Good, you  _are_  fighting back," Zinnia was now cackling. She moved her stance a little, like she was about to get defensive. Nearby, the other trainers had called out whatever Pokémon they had and began taking shots at the army encroaching upon them. It wasn't even close to enough at that moment, because the horde just kept going, sometimes obscuring what was going on with Ash and Zinnia. The next that Serena saw them was Ash running at the girl. "Didn't your mom ever teach you not to hit girls?"

"I think right now that doesn't matter," Ash snarled out. His voice sounded so vicious, almost like it did whenever a Pokémon was hurt because of someone. It scared Serena just a little. "You're hurting everyone here."

"Yeah…sticks and stones may break my bones," Zinnia continued singing out as Ash made an uppercut this time. Just like the first hit, Zinnia cocked her head to the side to avoid the blow, and then she punched forward. Ash gagged as he was hit in the gut, coughing a little from the force of the blow. "Punches hurt, too, though."

"Gre…ninja!" Shuriken of water flew outward, causing Zinnia to flip back on her Salamence. That was only one of the throwing stars that she had dodged, though, and the other part of Greninja's attack impacted with Salamence's side, making it veer off. Zinnia was clearly not expecting that. Near to her, Serena's own Pokémon were attacking without orders, trying to fend off as many of the Pokémon as could reasonably be taken care of. The honey blonde also noticed Pikachu leap from the stands and onto Talonflame's back.

"Your Pokémon are something…" Zinnia commented, and even from where she stood, it was clear that the Draconid was wearing a satisfied smile. "They're working so hard to help you out without you even giving a single command."

"Yeah…but we all work together," Ash wheezed out, dropping to a knee. He was clearly recovering from that nasty punch. "Noibat, use Supersonic!"

"Noibatbat!" Noibat chirped out, fluttering extremely close to the Dragon Pokémon in midair. Soundless waves of noise must have erupted from Noibat's body because Salamence began screeching in absolute pain.

"Stop that Supersonic with a Flamethrower," Zinnia said, still standing strong on Salamence's back. Salamence flapped its wings and went forward towards Noibat, its maw opening and a frighteningly bright jet of flame came roaring out of it. Noibat made an attempt to dodge, but it looked hopeless. That is, it looked hopeless until Hawlucha leapt in front of the blaze and made a fierce swipe downward, cutting the Flamethrower in half with a Karate Chop. At the same moment, Pikachu leapt off of Talonflame and spun through the air, slamming onto Salamence's head with an Iron Tail. That made Salamence falter a little. "Gah…fine. Time to get him off!"

Salamence roared loudly and turned again, this time ramming itself against the side of the stadium. Not holding on, Ash began to fall off and his back hit the stadium wall. Then he was dragged along with Salamence. "Gotta…break free…"

"Time to end this! Mega Evolve!"

"What? !" Serena cried out. From where she was, a little light sparkled near Zinnia's anklet and Salamence's body glowed brilliantly. More energy than most trainers ever thought possible burst forth from Salamence and Ash was suddenly dropped, rolling along the ground once he hit it, quite a distance away from the gathered trainers. Within moments, his Pokémon joined him, and the Mega Evolution transformation seemed to finish. Salamence, as was usual with the transformation, looked different. No longer did it have two wings but what looked like a boomerang-like disk for its wings, almost like a hang-glider. It was also ascending once more.

"Hyper Beam!" Ash stood just as energy coalesced near Salamence's mouth. Serena's eyes flickered between the two and Ash. He turned his head and smiled at her.

"Get away from here, Serena," he said with a thumbs up. "I'll be fine. I'm not giving-"

Serena's mouth opened in a soundless scream as the Hyper Beam hit Ash and his Pokémon. The expulsion of energy from the dark blast jettisoned any in the nearby area, including Serena herself, across the arena. She and her Pokémon tumbled back, only stopping when they hit Pancham's wall of stone which was crumbling from the force. Serena coughed, trying to right herself as dust scattered into the air. The Performer pulled herself to her knees and made sure that she and the others were okay. Braixen, Sylveon and Pancham looked a little dazed, but otherwise all right.

It was the coliseum that was damaged, a huge gaping hole in the middle of it that stretched downward to what looked like its bottomless innards. Ash and his Pokémon were nowhere to be seen.

"ASH!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs. She picked herself up off her knees and dashed for the massive crater in the center. Braixen was right behind her, and the rest of her partners were quick to follow. She slid to the edge of the crater and looked down into it. Never before had she seen such a sight of twisted metal or looming darkness. Ash was nowhere to be seen, although she did see Noibat and Talonflame fluttering down slowly, being lost to the darkness.

"Eddie, Ally! You're in charge topside!" Zinnia yelled out. Serena whipped around angrily towards the girl that had potentially…no, Ash was fine. "Have them cause as much destruction in the city as you can. Let's go, Salamence."

Salamence's roar pieced the air and, still in its Mega Evolved form, it plummeted downward with Zinnia holding on. Serena was thrown back at the force of air that flew out from Salamence's descent, her Pokémon catching her. Zinnia continued falling into the darkness of the crater, her laugh being lost to the depths. Serena huffed and she reached up to take her vest off, ready to jump in after Ash. He wasn't going to be facing this alone.

She was all ready to take the first step to jump when a pair of arms grabbed onto her and pulled her back. Serena squirmed and fought back for a moment until the two of them fell to the ground. Serena turned around to push herself away from whoever had held her back, but said person's hand grasped her arm and prevented her from going forward.

"Serena," Brock's voice finally said sternly. "Ash has his battle and we have our own."

"But he-"

"Right now, we have bigger things to deal with," Brock insisted. Serena finally looked up at him, and even with his closed eyes, the thin line that was his mouth indicated he was serious. Her heart really wanted to jump in after Ash, but… "Trust in Ash to do what needs to be done right now. Pull yourself together. As trainers, we have a duty right now."

"Very honorable," called Edwin's voice. Serena's attention was finally backing away from Ash and instead facing the bespectacled teen, a Flygon at his side. "I could tell as much from your battles in the tournament."

"I guess that this was all theatre for you?" Brock asked. The honey-blonde Performer noticed he was holding a pokeball at his side. His body language was defensive. This was not the Brock from the tournament, all too similar to Ash just moments ago.

"No, not all of it," Edwin sighed out. "True, we threw that tag battle…or at least, I did. Kenneth was clueless that I did so, but…"

"You…" Serena said, her body shaking. This time it wasn't from fear…but from anger. "We were all giving our best, and you just lied and cheated your way through it. You spat on something we were all trying to-"

"Don't patronize us!" Edwin spat. He reached up and removed his glasses angrily, letting them fall to the ground before he stomped on them. Then he ruffled his brown hair and no longer looked anything like the trainer that had taken part in the tournament. "This whole spectacle is a mockery of the pain we all suffered! We took part in it to keep attention on it. Zinnia may have had some other reason for having us do so, but even after knowing her for all these years, I still can't tell what she's thinking.

"She's the least of your concerns, in any case. Those are. I am."

"Croagunk, use Brick Break!" Brock snapped. Croagunk popped out of the pokeball in Brock's hand with a burst of blue light. The second the Toxic Mouth Pokémon's feet hit the ground, he had raced forward, leaping into the air and slamming on Flygon's head with a shining fist. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, we won't let you do it uninterrupted."

"Never thought you would," Edwin said tiredly. He clenched his fist and brought it in front of his face. It was glowing red while green particles fluttered away from it. "Just answer me one question: can this number of measly trainers protect every person in this city?"

Serena wasn't sure how to answer, or if she could answer. All she did know was that she was angry, and someone, whether it was Edwin, or Zinnia, or those swarming dragons that were dispersing over the city, or raining down upon the trainers in the stadium…someone was going to pay for this kind of wanton destruction. Wishing with all her heart for Ash to be okay, Serena stepped forward.

"I guess we'll just find out."

* * *

Ash was hanging on desperately. Getting hit by that Hyper Beam was not fun, and even his Pokémon weren't just shaking it off. The only ones who seemed remotely okay were Talonflame and Noibat, and that was simply because they could fly…which neither of them were doing very well at the moment. Ash shifted a little, his fingers digging into the jagged steel beam that was barely attached to its own foundation. He must have been about thirty feet from the top, but was over twenty feet from the bottom. It would take forever to climb up that way, and judging from the Salamence roar overhead, he wasn't going to have the time for that.

"Noibat, return!" Ash said, reaching for Noibat's pokeball to call him back. The action left him in a precarious position, which was soon made all the more precarious when a beam just a couple feet below him dislodged from its position.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out. Ash slid his vision over to his best buddy and watched in horror as he realized that Pikachu was the one on that collapsing beam. There was only one thing to do.

"Not today, Pikachu!" Ash yelled out. Not even caring for his own well-being, Ash let go of the beam he was hanging onto as he dove for Pikachu. It turned out to be a lucky move as said beam fell out from its placement moments after he had dived off. Ash tried to twist around in midair so he was aiming straight downwards. His hands reached out, getting ever closer to Pikachu. Finally, his fingers clasped on his best buddy's tail and pulled him close.

Then he was buffeted by a massive wind. Ash slammed outward and he hit a rough, almost jagged, side of one of the supports to the coliseum. He threw his hand out and tried to find something to hold onto, barely being successful when he grabbed a sparking wire that was long and hanging from…somewhere. Ash wasn't Clemont, or in the mood to contemplate it. He twirled around a little and saw that Salamence was slightly below him, Zinnia still on its back; only it was heading back up and charging a Hyper Beam. It was obvious what was about to happen.

Ash kicked his legs back and forth, hoping for some momentum in avoiding the attack that Zinnia and her Salamence were aiming at him. It would really hurt if he took another one like that. His kicking and flailing wasn't getting him very far, and once Salamence was even with him, it fired.

"Talon!" Talonflame screeched out, and Ash was horrified at his beloved Pokémon's actions. The Scorching Pokémon raced down to Ash's side, flames around its body to speed itself up. It barely made it in time to ram into its trainer's side. Ash went flying forward, his fingers letting go of the wire accidentally as the Hyper Beam slammed into Talonflame. The next Ash saw was his brave flier falling towards the ground with little remorse. After that, Ash saw him scooped up in what was undoubtedly Greninja's arms as the Ninja Pokémon leapt from beam to beam until they reached the bottom of the stadium. This area appeared to be dimly lit by tracking lights that were active on the floor. It served to illuminate Talonflame's fallen form.

"NO!" Ash screamed, running to Talonflame's side with little hesitation. The bird Pokémon wasn't moving or twitching in the slightest. A loud rumble sent tremors through the maintenance area of the coliseum, causing Ash to whip around angrily, tears in his eyes. "You…you're not getting away with this."

"Then fight me," Zinnia said calmly, finally disembarking from Salamence's back. "Show me your spirit. Salamence, Dragon Breath!"

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Once Ash had given the command, Greninja threw Pikachu into the air and the electric mouse whipped around, forming the crackling ball of pure electricity by his tail. Salamence fired off the smoky green, flame-like, breath attack, right for Ash and all of his Pokémon. Hawlucha landed on a beam just above them, having almost finished his descent as Pikachu fired Electro Ball off. "Hawlucha, use Flying Press!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha nodded, leaping off that beam and aiming right for Salamence. The Wrestling Pokémon spun in midair before putting the full weight of his body on Salamence's head. The Dragon Pokémon hardly reacted, only moving once Zinnia gave the order for a Dragon Claw. Ash put one foot in front of the other and he started running forward. Salamence's back claws grew large and green as it flipped around and sliced right across Hawlucha's midsection, sending him flying. Then it reared back and a Flamethrower gushed from its maw. Hawlucha flew back, his body burning. Ash dove and managed to catch him. "Lu…cha…haw…"

"You did great. You're great, Hawlucha," Ash assured his Pokémon. Hawlucha tried raising his fist weakly, but couldn't get his fist bump off before he slumped in Ash's arms. The raven-haired trainer was shaking now. His Pokémon were hurting…because of  _her_  and…whatever she was doing. His blood was boiling. Ash set Hawlucha down, and wiped away whatever tears he felt falling. This wasn't over yet. "Pikachu…Quick Attack and Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, evidently feeling his trainer's emotions of rage and sadness. He blitzed forward, zigzagging towards the stable Salamence. Salamence raised one side of its wing this time, now glowing with the same green that its claws had. It slashed down, but Pikachu slid underneath the attack to the dragon's stomach. Pikachu then whipped his Iron Tail up, turning Salamence onto its side. Only…Salamence was ready, and it used its other free wing to pin Pikachu down before opening its jaws and letting loose a Dragon Breath attack that blasted Pikachu into the air with a cry. Ash made to catch yet another of his Pokémon before Greninja appeared and caught Pikachu himself after throwing a Water Shuriken to distract Salamence. He placed Ash's first Pokémon on the ground solemnly. It was just them.

"Greninja, let's try it…one more time…for them!" Ash screamed, and even though he didn't know how it worked, Ash was successful in synching up with Greninja one more time. The water surrounded Greninja's body, and even without his trainer's command, Greninja rushed forward with a spinning Aerial Ace. Salamence righted itself in the air and brought another powerful Dragon Claw with its wings straight onto Greninja. For the first time, Salamence looked like it was having a challenge, but Ash's fatigue was getting the better of him and soon, Greninja couldn't keep it up. The Aerial Ace faltered and Salamence slashed across his chest.

"Aaaaagh!" Ash screamed, feeling the pain sear across his own chest. From her distance away, Zinnia sighed.

"I'm…disappointed…" she said. "I really thought…Salamence, Hyper Beam."

Ash could do nothing; he couldn't move, speak or help as Greninja stood there. One second, he tried opening his mouth, and then in the next second the Hyper Beam fired, consuming both himself and Greninja. It was so painful, he felt every part of the attack phase through his body, doubled by the pain that Greninja was feeling until he slipped out of his form. Then Ash fell back until he hit the ground. All around him, his Pokémon had passed out, and he was on his way there, too. Still, he had enough energy to look up at Zinnia, who was coming nearby.

"I don't…understand…" Ash said, trying desperately to bring himself back up. "Why…are you doing this?"

"Why?" Zinnia said, and her old smirk turned to a sad smile. "I'm returning the world to what it was supposed to be for me. I'm starting from Z…and going back to A."

"What…does that…?" Ash couldn't get the rest of the question out of his mouth.

"It's sad," Zinnia said, and for an impossible moment, she looked like she was crying. "You were amazing out there in the tournament…and I thought…maybe…

"Goodbye, Ash Ketchum. You were the bravest man I ever met in this world."

Ash wanted to yell for her to stop, but his energy gave out. Succumbing to the pain and exhaustion, Ash's hand fell, and he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: You didn't think the tournament was the end of it, did you? Of course not! We finally bring Zinnia into the main plot, and I can't tell you how excited I was to write this chapter…all of it! From the fear and panic setting in to Ash's battle with Zinnia. True, she has a bit of adaptational villainy, but I hope you're all okay with that. How will the battle go now that Ash is out? And how will Serena react? Rest assured, the next batch of chapters will prove most exciting and I can't wait for you all to read it!
> 
> Every time I see a notification that I received a new review, it makes me so happy! So, until the next chapter, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	18. An Assault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people freaked over the cliffhanger last chapter. I hope this makes up for it. Please enjoy Chapter 18!

Chapter 18

An Assault

Pandemonium.

This was the only thing that was in Serena's line of sight in that particular moment. While she stood side-by-side with Brock, her Pokémon had jumped in front to defend her. Her eyes also noticed every other battling trainer in their vicinity. The absolute devastation that was being wrought around the stadium kept her pulse racing. Chunks of stone had been blasted off and some trainers had already been defeated by the horde. Serena swallowed a lump in her throat as she turned back to the pitched battle between Croagunk and Flygon.

"Poison Jab, now!" Brock ordered, his stance rigid with what appeared to be rage. Serena had only seen him like this a few times before, but all that paled in comparison to now. Croagunk jumped off the top of a piece of stone to gain altitude over Flygon. He spun through the air and his purple fist sunk into Flygon's back, driving it forward.

"Get it off, Flygon," Edwin said coolly. Flygon responded instantly by spinning. Croagunk attempted to hold on desperately but the speed that Flygon was moving was too much and he flew off, though he didn't receive any injury.

"Braixen, Flamethrower, and Sylveon, Swift!" Serena called out, hoping to provide some kind of support for Brock. Braixen didn't waste time with any fancy moves; she just held her wand aloft and shot the flame forward. It was weaker than usual, as Braixen was no doubt tired from battling all day. Sylveon didn't have a problem, using her feelers to spring upward in a dance and launch the golden stars at Flygon. Both attacks hit Flygon, but it looked unfazed. Edwin was much the same. He was showing no emotion at the successful attacks: no rage, no surprise, no arrogance. It unsettled Serena just a bit.

"What's your game here?" Brock asked sternly. Edwin appeared to take a breath.

"I don't feel like telling you," he said. "Needless to say, you'll not stop us. Not because you aren't strong enough. That's not it."

"Then why?" Brock followed up with. "Humor me."

"Your conviction isn't the same as ours," he responded openly. He clearly would have gone on, but a loud roar pierced the air once more and Edwin finally showed some sort of reaction, his eyebrows raising upward. Serena didn't like the sound of it, considering where it had come from: the pit that led underneath the stadium. "Looks like Zinnia finished up. Good, I'm not cut out for leadership."

"You don't mean-" Zinnia, herself, appeared to answer the horrified inquiry on Serena's lips. Salamence, no longer in its Mega form, burst out of the hole and spread its wings wide. Zinnia was atop of it, looking more determined than before she'd entered. "No…"

"Croagunk, use Brick Break, now!"

"Croagunk!" the Toxic Mouth Pokémon yelled out, bounding from where he was, over to Flygon and slamming down on top of its head. Flygon didn't appear to take it very well, but Edwin was less observant to his Pokémon's annoyance.

"Are we clear yet, Zinnia?" he was yelling at the girl on her Salamence.

"We are," she said stoically. "Nothing is left. I'm heading for the castle. You know your job. They're like a bunch of sitting Ducklett out there."

"Got it," Edwin responded to her. "They're already on their way there, trying to finish preparations. I'll provide you cover."

"Yeah…good luck, Eddie," Zinnia said, a soft smile of affection playing on her lips. Then Salamence rose above the stadium and took off in the direction of the castle. Whatever her plan was, it was clearly going to go down there. Serena had other, more worrisome, things on her mind. Like the fact that Ash was down below and hadn't shown up yet while Zinnia had.

"Flygon, Sandstorm for cover," Edwin called out. The Mystic Pokémon reared back, stretching its wings wide. Croagunk tumbled off, but made a clean landing on the ground. He looked to his trainer for instruction, the small sacs on his cheeks bulging inward and outward. Brock was ready to give one when Flygon gave a mighty flap of its wings.

"Serena, cover your face!" Brock yelled as the sand suddenly whirled around the stadium. The honey blonde followed the doctor's instructions and whipped her hat off to cover her nose, mouth, and eyes. At the same time, she took her pokeballs out and called her Pokémon back, not wanting them hurt by the attack. She kept her eyes tightly shut, but it didn't stop her from feeling the battering sand and dirt around her body. It made her feel a little filthy, but under the circumstances, it wasn't like she'd been sitting around all day. The biggest issue was getting rid of the tornado that was making her dress flap around. Seconds later, she felt an arm pull her into a crouch and she chanced opening her eyes.

Brock had taken her into a huddle as the sand continued to whip around, obscuring everything not within a foot or two from view. Croagunk was in between them, not shielding himself whatsoever from the blustering elements. Serena's eyes began to water from the sand in the air and she shut them again. This had to end sometime soon…and it did.

"Golduck, come on out!" called someone that sounded like Bethany. The second she called out her Golduck, the sandstorm began to dissipate until it was no more. Not feeling the sand against her, Serena once more opened her eyes and removed her hat to look at the stadium. The first thing she noticed was that all of the attacking Dragon Pokémon were gone from the area that was now buried in at least three inches of sand. Serena could even feel it filtering into her boots, and falling out of her hair. She shook her head to rid herself of the sand, but that was hardly successful. In a corner of the stadium stood Bethany, her Golduck out as she leaned against the stadium wall in exhaustion; apparently Serena had heard right.

Bethany wasn't the only one affected by the brutal assault Flygon had just made on all of them. Almost every trainer that had been in the stadium was slumped against something or cradling a defeated Pokémon. It wasn't like it was any real wonder: most of them had been battling all day, only to be faced with this. It was unnatural. As expected, Edwin and the other "Draconids" (or so Serena supposed they should be called) were gone from the stadium, likely having moved into the city. Worry for the townspeople probably should have been the first thing on her mind, especially considering that no one else was able to make a single move. Only Christopher and Gary had gotten up, and while Gary was coughing out the sand in his mouth, Christopher dragged Seamus out from being smothered by the sand.

Instead, Serena had one thing on her mind, and that was the crater that was still gaping in the center of the stadium. Sloshing in the sand on the ground, Serena made her way over and leaned into the pit. "Ash! Ash!"

No answer came, and the only other sound in the stadium was the sound of others coughing or moving through the sand. Her heart was beating wildly. Had Zinnia really defeated him? Or had she…? No, the very thought was all too frightening, and she couldn't think that way. That would be giving in to despair…it would be giving up. Screams now sounded out from the city, but no one else made a move at the sounds of it. Even Brock, whose only goal at the moment seemed to be slowly checking out all the Pokémon in the area, didn't react to it.

 _What would he do, right now, if he were here?_  Serena thought to herself. Maybe she was depending on him too much, but Serena knew that Ash had been in far too many similar situations. He'd leapt off Prism Tower just to save Pikachu! His guidance would have been helpful right now…but he wasn't here. And without him, many of the trainers looked ready to throw in the towel. Tears pricked at Serena's eyes again, but not from the sand that had irritated them.  _I can't…I can't let it end this way._

"Please, Ash…" she whispered out. "I need you right now. I need your courage. I need your determination and charisma."

A light bulb flickered on in her head. Charisma…Ash provided charisma. He had gotten every trainer in the arena to root for him yesterday and today. Everyone was down and out, but if Ash were here, he would…All she needed was to give them all a kick in the pants. For that, she needed.

"Clemont!" Serena snapped out loud. Her voice echoed around the stadium in its silence. Not even the screams could mute it. "Clemont!"

"Present!" Clemont finally coughed out. Serena saw a lump of sand move as Clemont shot up, the sand on his body flying everywhere. Bonnie was underneath him, and she looked relatively untouched, if dazed. Serena finally waded over to the blond inventor and helped him up. He was shaking a little, but she tried to ignore that.

"Clemont, you're a whiz at electricity, right? Can you fix the PA system?" Serena asked. Clemont stared at her like she may as well have been speaking gibberish. Actually, Serena wasn't sure he was even staring at  _her_ , but more like staring off into open space like a zombie. Serena grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Clemont, this isn't the time to space out!"

"Um…right. Yeah, yeah I can!" Clemont said confidently. That made Serena breathe out in relief. "You know that the future-"

"This isn't the future, Clemont," Serena snapped at him. It was the only time in her memory that she had the gall to snap at one of her friends like this, but she had no time to wait; not with the screams growing louder. "I need to know if you can repair the PA system in the arena from the commentator's box, right  _now_!"

Clemont didn't answer right away; maybe it was because Bonnie was using his leg to help herself up, or because he was dumbstruck by her conviction. None of it mattered when he shook his head in determination the next moment. "I can and will fix it."

"Great." Serena grabbed his arm forcefully while he grabbed his sister. The other trainers were snapping out of their disorientation, but a certain air of defeat hung around all of them. She would have to change that.

Part of the stands had been destroyed from the earlier battles, allowing a stairway to form. Serena made her way over there and began climbing into the stands. Once she reached that stone portion, it became a lot easier to move. Even navigating the chairs and benches was easier than wading through sand. After a minute or two of weaving through that particular maze, Serena finally reached the commentator's box and wrenched the door open. Unsurprisingly, it was empty, having been abandoned either right after the tournament ended or when the attack started. That was just making her job a little easier.

"Get to work, Clemont," Serena ordered, perhaps a bit too harshly. Either way, Clemont nodded with fervor and called Luxray out before diving underneath the bench that the commentators had sat at. Serena brought out her tablet, but a single message in red was flashing on the screen: NO SIGNAL FOUND. That was unfortunate, but it didn't mean she wouldn't be able to do what needed to be done. Numerous shelves were lined up against one of the walls and Serena strode over to it, taking a look at whatever was on each shelf.

"What are you doing, Serena?" Bonnie asked tremulously. It was one of the few times that Serena had ever heard the girl so scared. Putting a smile on her face, the honey blonde turned to her little sister in all but name.

"I'm looking for a map of the city. Want to help me, Bonnie?" On instinct, the blonde nodded enthusiastically and dove into searching the shelves for a map. They managed to be successful just as Clemont got the PA system repaired.

"We're good to go! Luxray is providing the current on the separate circuit for now, so whatever you need to do-" Serena nodded, lunging for the microphone that Kalas had spoken through the whole tournament. In that moment, Serena breathed in. Then she yelled.

"Get up!" she screamed, her voice echoing all over the stadium. It was like a sharp wake up call to the trainers and they turned their gazes upwards. "This isn't the time to be defeated! We're Pokémon trainers, aren't we? We all took part in this tournament, didn't we? Don't we have to do something about those Dragon Pokémon out there?"

"They beat us," Rocky spat out, and Serena saw sand mixed in with the saliva. "Or were you blinded by that sandstorm?"

"I don't care," she yelled back, a small tear being flung from her eyes. "I don't care if we were beaten! I don't care if you want to give up and go home! Right now, we're the only defense between Zinnia and her army! Those people need us!"

"Serena," Miette called out, and Serena whipped a glare to her. Miette practically stumbled backward. "She beat even-"

"I told you it doesn't matter! We can't give up until it's over! And it's not over…He…He wouldn't give up. He won't give up. And until he comes back, it's down to us to protect this city when it's in our power! This tournament, it pitted us against each other. Trainer against trainer. Pokémon against Pokémon. But right now, we can't be fighting. We can't disagree over moral squabbles or sore losses. We need to stand up! We need to fight together!"

Serena's words resonated across the entire arena and she saw all of the trainers there turn to look at her up in the box. Her chest was heaving, and her face was flushed from the adrenaline flowing through her entire body. She didn't say anymore; if that wasn't enough to convince them, then she would have to do it all herself.

After a moment of agonizing silence, Christopher stepped forward. "What's your plan?"

"Two teams!" Serena said, whipping the paper map in front of her. She took a look at it quickly. Not that she was an expert, but she'd explored Ancien City enough to know its routes in and out of the city. It allowed her to quickly formulate a battle plan; Ash was very evidently rubbing off on her. "One team will be a small group led by me to take the castle back, since that's where Zinnia is heading. The rest of you will head into the city to protect the townspeople until they can evacuate. There are three major exits from the city at the north, south, and east."

"Who goes in what group?" Gary followed up with. "Personally, if the town is under major attack, I'm better in the city. So is Team Brutal, for that matter."

"I agree," Christopher added with a nod. Serena's smile became one of determination as she began to issue orders out to the now raptly listening trainers. After a little bit of debate between the very loud Serena and her compatriots down below, they had worked out a viable strategy. Team Brutal's remaining three would team up with Portia to help evacuate the east side of the city; Kenneth, Bruce, and Trent would cover the north side of the city; Shauna, Tierno, Trevor and Nini would tackle the southern exit; while Clemont would try to restore power in the center of the city to create an emergency system, Bonnie would go with him as would Gary, May and Brock. Lastly, Serena would lead herself, Dawn, Miette, Aria and Sawyer to the castle to stop whatever Zinnia was doing.

"Just remember," she said as parting words. "This isn't about us. This is about protecting everyone. So, make sure you all do your best and…survive."

"We've got this covered, Serena!" Gary called back, raising his fist into the air triumphantly. The other trainers did the same, showing a firm sense of solidarity. They had been opposed, but now they were united.

All that was left was to stop Zinnia.

"You be careful Clemont, Bonnie," Serena said seriously, done with the microphone. Clemont reached out and put a hand on Serena's shoulder.

"You need to be careful, too," Clemont insisted. He looked worried, and Serena thought it was very sweet that he cared so much about her. Knowing the dangerous situation they were about to get into, Serena pulled Clemont into a hug, pouring every ounce of affection for the inventor into it. When they pulled away, he was smiling a little at her. "You know…Ash would be proud right now."

"Then, let's make him proud," she said. It was the last thing she knew she had time for. Calling her Pokémon back out of their pokeballs, Serena led the three back through the maze that the stands presented until she joined up with her team in the middle of the arena. The three evacuation teams had already set off. Clemont was a little behind her, but once he and Bonnie joined up with the Restoration Team, they set off immediately as well.

"Nice speech, Serena," Miette said, with absolutely no sarcasm in her voice. Serena didn't smile or smirk. She just nodded, needing no words to convey her determination. She put her hand in between the five of them on the team. Aria was the first to throw her hand in, followed by Dawn and then Sawyer and Miette.

"We need to work together," she said, and even Aria was listening intently. Serena glowed with confidence at that simple action. "We were all on different teams, and we're all rivals, but right now, none of that matters. Right now,  _we're_ a team: Team Victory."

"I like the sound of that," Sawyer piped up. "Sceptile and I are ready to go."

"Then let's waste no more time. Whatever Zinnia is planning can't be good for the city or the Kalos region as a whole," Aria said. The current Kalos Queen raised her hands and took her disguise off, now looking like a very striking warrior princess, ready to enter battle. Despite Serena being the head of the group, the pinkette was the one leading the charge forward. The honey-blonde turned her attention briefly to the crater that led to Ash.

"No need to worry, Serena," Dawn said comfortingly. Piplup nodded sagely on the Coordinator's shoulder. "Ash will be back up and running before you know it. Nothing can keep him down; and when he does get back, you can share all that's unsaid between you two."

"Right," Serena said confidently. Dawn raised her hand and Serena gave it a quick high five. "Let's do what needs to be done."

Dawn gave off a soft "hmmm" and the duo set off after Aria. Sawyer and Miette were bringing up the rear, with Sceptile and a bouncing Slurpuff acting as a sort of rearguard. The group of five turned into a nearby corridor that led straight through Team Performer's waiting room and out into the coliseum lobby. The place was mostly untouched, unless one counted the fainted forms of Gabites that lay strewn across the area. While it was a wretched sight, Serena feared a far nastier one should they not succeed in protecting the town. Her legs pumped faster and brought her out into the city proper.

It was like a warzone out there. Dragon types were swooping and swerving, launching attacks at all manner of buildings and the fleeing citizenry. Vibrava were swarming over statues and some of the populace, while Gabite and Fraxure were firing off Dragon Breaths and Dragon Pulses at anyone who walked into their path. It was a wonder that such a horrid army could get here so quickly without being seen. The Pokémon weren't the only ones doing damage, as some trainers, nondescript members of the crowd, were commanding orders that were knocking citizens down in their own panic to escape. One of the people got hit by a sudden Hyper Beam from a stalking Garchomp and slammed into the side of a building. Serena was sure that he was bleeding, but Aria reached back and took her hand.

"Compassion is a beautiful thing, but right now compassion means getting to that castle," the Kalos Queen said sternly. Serena knew she was right, despite her inner self screaming to help the man. Reluctantly, she brought her head into a nod and Aria let go, continuing the charge forward. She didn't want to look, so Serena kept her head down, blocking the awful sights with her hat. All she knew was that the further they got away from the coliseum and towards the castle, the thinner the horde became.

Maybe it was because of their Pokémon that were so valiantly protecting their trainers, or maybe it was that the actual army was thinning. Serena couldn't be sure; the only thing she knew was that all the defensive measures set up hadn't done a thing against a rampaging horde of dragons. Buildings were being reduced to rubble and people were limping across the street; what was supposed to have been a celebration was now turning into an execution, in its own way. Serena could only hold on to hope that Clemont and the others would be able to restore power to the main city and help with the rest of the evacuation process. Arceus knew, they needed it.

The honey-blonde Performer lifted her head a little as each of their team's feet started padding up the hill. The castle was in sight (well…closer sight, she supposed) and their goal was almost upon them. So were a swarm of Dragonair and Dragonites. Zinnia and her crew were not going to make this easy for them.

"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!" Sylveon pranced forward and used its feelers like a fan to blow the pink and glittering wind at the horde. She wasn't the only one using a move. Miette's Slurpuff was combining powers with Sawyer's own Slurpuff as Sceptile supported the team from the rear with Bullet Seed. Dawn tossed another pokeball in the air to call out Togekiss and Buneary. Piplup leapt onto to Togekiss' back and the duo flew into the thicket of Dragon types in order to launch a close-quarters assault on them. Ahead of them, Aria's Aromatisse and Delphox were holding their own weight.

A Dragonite broke free of the horde and started sailing right for Serena. As it got closer, the Performer noticed that its eyes were red, either because it was irritated or because it was being controlled somehow.  _The Draconid Clan was a clan of dragon tamers. They could tame an army of dragons if they so chose._  The words hit home to Serena and she finally realized what was going on, why it was an army of  _Dragons_  attacking. That meant there was a simple solution: defeating the Draconids.

"Braixen, use Hidden Power, and Pancham, Stone Edge!" Serena yelled out as the Dragonite continued aiming right for her. Braixen fired the rotating orbs of silver light from her wand and each one of them struck a different portion of Dragonite. The Pokémon didn't stop hurtling for her, but it certainly slowed enough for Pancham to flip through the air. When he landed, a large stone jutted upward from the ground and slammed into Dragonite's stomach, sending it flying before Sceptile appeared to soar in and slash it with a Leaf Blade. Serena turned to Sawyer.

"We've gotta work together, right?" he asked with a smile. Serena smiled at Ash's (technical) protégé and rival, and turned her eyes front once again.

"All right, everyone here, we'll combine our Pokémon's attacks and take out this group all at once," Aria yelled back. "Delphox, Mystical Fire! Aromatisse, Charge Beam!"

Aria's commands sounded like a general giving orders to an army, and the rest of the team followed suit with her. Sylveon launched another Fairy Wind to push the attacks forward, Braixen tossed in a Fire Blast that mixed with Pancham's Dark Pulse. Dawn aided with Piplup firing a Bubblebeam that Buneary froze with an Ice Beam. Sawyer and Miette finished up with an Electro Ball, and Energy Ball from the two Slurpuffs and Sceptile's own Dragon Pulse. The resulting combination was a giant ball of pulsing pinkish-purple energy. For a moment, it hung there in midair, providing a scant amount of light to the darkened area before it exploded, taking the horde of Dragon Pokémon out.

The path now cleared, Aria set off again, though Serena noticed that for all the grace she had, the Kalos Queen looked exhausted. It was really no different than they all felt in that moment. Things were exceptionally hard thanks to the hill they were trying to scale to get to the castle. With the army out of their way, Serena felt she could afford to continue facing forward and she caught sight of a green glow from the castle. It wasn't just inside the castle though, there was a green beam-like sight being fired into the castle. At least, that was how she would describe it.

Whatever it was…it wasn't a good thing, Serena could conclude.

"Aromatisse, Reflect, right now!" Aria screamed. Aromatisse's eyes flashed and a bright shield of blue formed in front of it and the rest of their Pokémon. Then Haxorus came crashing downward with a glowing black Shadow Claw that ripped across the Fragrance Pokémon. Aromatisse went bouncing back, but looked relatively unharmed thanks to the timely Reflect. Serena closed the distance between her and Aria and observed the front of the castle.

Jael and Kael were there, standing confidently. Haxorus had leapt back to its trainer's side and Druddigon was also there, its maw open in a strangely feral grin. Serena balled her fists a little. They didn't have time for this. She took a step in front of Aria. "Out of the way."

"We'd say the same, but both of our sides wouldn't listen," Kael said sternly. "The only way to decide this is a Pokémon battle, no?"

"If we win, you'll tell us your plans?" Aria asked. Delphox looked to be getting into a fighting stance, ready to strike back against the two revealed Draconids.

"Not a chance," Jael answered with a scoff. "You lightweights wouldn't be able to understand them anyway."

"Jael, stop talking," Kael sighed out. "This isn't about strength. It's about conviction."

"Edwin said the same thing," Serena pointed out. Kael nodded, like he agreed with whatever Edwin was trying to imply. "Well, if you're talking about conviction, we have plenty of it."

"I'm sure," Kael responded. He stepped forward now, closing the small gap between them. As he did so, he tossed his gaze shortly back to the green light emanating from the castle. "But none of you have conviction like we do. You couldn't. Unless you've fought with your very life on the line, unless you've had to dig deep inside for the strength to keep going, you couldn't possibly match our conviction."

"We've seen more horrors than you ever will in your lifetimes," Jael concluded with. "This is about setting all that right. I don't want to see her cry again."

"Ugh…you're such an idiot," Kael expressed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Stop telling them things! They're our enemies! They're from this filthy world that knows nothing of war or sorrow. But we do! We traveled through this hell to get here and no-"

"Sceptile, use Dragon Pulse!" Serena was surprised to hear Sawyer take the initiative. Jael and Kael appeared pretty surprised by this turn of events as well. The dragon-shaped, purple-colored beam raced along the ground, exploding when it made contact with Haxorus and Druddigon. Sawyer soon came to stand in front of the girls. "Great job, Sceptile."

"Sawyer has the right idea," Aria said. She whipped around to face Serena, though her gaze also appeared to be directed at Miette. "We can't linger here for long. Zinnia must be above if they're guarding this place. Serena, Miette, get to her. The three of us will hold them off."

"Haxorus, Dragon Claw on Delphox!" Kael yelled out. His stance didn't change as his Pokémon shot forward, the green claws on a straight collision course for Aria's star partner.

"Buneary, Dizzy Punch!" Buneary hopped in faster than expected and with her ears collided with Haxorus. The Axe Jaw Pokémon reeled, confusion status setting in.

"Not bad…but not enough, either," Jael laughed out. Druddigon began stomping forward to get into the battle itself. Serena desperately wanted to join in herself, but she quickly felt Dawn grab her arm.

"You need to go, now," she said. It was the most intense Serena had ever seen the Coordinator, even in the arena. "You need to get to Zinnia. I'm sure the two of you have no need to worry, okay?"

"But…" Serena squeaked out, unsure about the team's success if they were to split their forces. Aria turned back again after ordering Aromatisse and Delphox to launch a combo on Druddigon.

"They're mistaken, Serena: we have conviction. We want to protect each other and the people in this town. That's immediate," she pointed out sharply. "No conviction they have holds a candle to us. Now go, we'll cover you."

"Right…Miette, let's go!" Serena said. Miette was silent in the moment, only nodding as Serena ran for the gates to the castle. It was no surprise that neither Jael nor Kael were going to let her pass easily. Haxorus and Druddigon both detached from their current attacks and went running straight at her. They may have succeeded…if Sceptile didn't block Haxorus with a powerful Leaf Blade while Piplup intercepted Druddigon with Drill Peck. "Good luck!"

"Go get 'em!" Sawyer yelled out, waving to Serena. He wasn't looking at his opponents, as Kael now ran at the green-haired trainer from Hoenn. The honey-blonde didn't watch, but the loud smacking noise indicated that the Draconid had hit Sawyer himself. It was more than a Pokémon battle; it was a battle for survival. And that was what Serena was going to do.

Behind her, Miette was moving slowly. She seemed in a complete daze, so different than her usual demeanor when they were around each other. Sylveon appeared to notice as well, because her feelers went outward and tangled themselves around Miette's wrist, pulling her forward and into the hall of the castle. Serena stopped when they were inside to look at the view.

Like any other kind of castle, the interior was extravagant, even if Serena didn't have the time to appreciate it. Sure there was the smell of food wafting downwards from what looked like a ballroom upstairs, but that was about the extent to which she could enjoy whatever Ancien Castle had to offer. Instead, she padded forward on the plush red carpet for the stairs that would lead upward. Miette followed slowly after her, not a single word being said. However, when Serena's foot touched upon the second floor and she could stare out the large windows to the balcony and the town in the distance, she heard a loud thud behind her. Turning around, Serena could see that Miette had sunk to her knees.

"I'm sorry…I just…I don't think I can…" Miette stuttered out. It was completely out of character for her to sit there, body shaking as her arms cradled herself. "I'm scared."

"Miette…" Serena said. She wanted to say something to comfort her. "Miette, you are…you're a very dear friend of mine."

"What?" she asked, surprised at what was being said.

"You've pushed me," the honey-blonde Performer told her, sinking down to a crouch. Serena reached forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "I've pushed you back. That's what friends and rivals do. Ash taught me that. I want to protect you because of it."

"I…I'd like to protect you, too," Miette replied, some of the fire coming back into her eyes. "It would be pointless if I stole Ash away only because you weren't around."

"Exactly, I don't want to lose to you either," Serena replied. Behind her, all of her Pokémon were keeping watch, though she could sort of see them nodding in a mirror. "So, just this once, let's move forward together as friends. There's no need to be scared if we work together."

"Yeah…friends," Miette said. She reached out and took Serena's hand as she stood up, the fear and trembling gone from her figure. Serena stared at her rival-turned-friend…and then watched as her body was suddenly washed over in a green light. Both of them turned around to stare outside the balcony doors, though that didn't provide much of a clue. Serena slowly walked forward, pushing the doors open and walking out onto the balcony, her eyes drawn to the night sky.

There was no moon and no stars…but the sky was split into two with a glowing green crack. And from a distance that neither girl could judge, there was an unearthly roar, followed by the sounds of the roof of Ancien Castle flying off.

* * *

"Make your way to any of the three town exits!" Gary yelled to the citizenry, as he and Electivire waved them along. As the people shuffled or ran through the city, beams of light or fire or all manner of Pokémon attacks were flying around. Some of them threatened to rain rubble down on them, but Chespin and Brock's Ludicolo were doing a passable job at diverting those pieces to places that they wouldn't harm anyone. "Once you're there, a group of trainers will protect you until you can get out!"

"Clemont, how close are we to the main maintenance area?" May asked suddenly as Blaziken leapt into the air and used a Blaze Kick on a ring of Vibrava.

"Not far," Clemont answered, his breath coming in huffs. He really needed to do some kind of cardio to get better at running. Still, he wouldn't let himself be done in by something like this. Clutching tightly to the map that Serena had given him (he'd long since memorized it), Clemont cast his gaze upon the sickly green sky and the rift that was now hovering over them. It had happened so suddenly, and while he really wanted to research this strange phenomenon, he knew that there was a more important job to do.

"Come on, Clemont, you're the only one that can do this!" Bonnie chirped encouragingly from his side. She was clutching tightly to him, a sure sign that his sister was actually scared beyond belief. He wasn't going to let her down, not now. He had things to protect, too.

A sudden screeching filled Clemont's ears and he saw a motorcycle with a sidecar come roaring into the plaza they were currently making their way through. On it were Officer Jenny and a concerned looking Professor Sycamore. The professor appeared to have noticed them because he had Jenny pull the car up next to them with another screech of the tires. "I'm glad you're all right!"

"Professor, you're not hurt, are you?" Clemont asked breathlessly. He was slightly grateful for the chance to catch his breath. Gary and May continued battling the Dragon types nearby while it appeared Brock was tending to wounded Pokémon and people alike.

"I'm fine, though Monsieur Pierre seems to have been hit by a piece of debris," Sycamore informed them. Next to him, Jenny appeared slightly impatient, which was really a given in the situation. "Where's Ash?"

"Probably sleeping!" Gary grunted out as Umbreon fired a Shadow Ball into a group of coalescing Gabite on the street. Electivire sent a Thunder raining onto it and it exploded within the midst of Pokémon with golden sparkles. Clemont looked at Gary who nodded subtly; there was no need to have anyone else worry that Ash, who had undoubtedly given the best performance in the tournament, was in an unknown condition.

"Professor, we need to get to the maintenance area of the city to restore the power," Clemont insisted. Sycamore turned to him with a little bit of surprise, but he seemed to understand what the inventor was getting at.

"You can fix it?" the professor asked, though it was clear that he already knew the answer to that. "Mayor Aston's been trying to get it back online since the attack started but we haven't managed it yet, and he's the best engineer this city has to offer."

"That's okay! My big brother can do it!" Bonnie affirmed, thumping her chest proudly. Clemont's own chest swelled at his sister's belief in his engineering prowess.

"Great, all of you follow me and Officer Jenny!" Sycamore called out, grabbing the attention of the other trainers in their group. Brock finished mending a group of Pokémon before rejoining them. Jenny revved her motorcycle loudly and then shot off in the direction of what looked to be the square. That made sense, considering the area that Serena had circled was close to it.

"You have to keep up this time, Clemont!" Bonnie said sternly to him. He looked to her and adjusted his glasses.

"I know that, Bonnie!" As if showing his resolve of keeping up, Clemont tucked the map into his bag, straightened his back, and began to pump his feet forward. The muscles in his legs burned, but he was determined to keep pace with the frontrunners of this little group. May and Gary served as the side guard as they ran and Clemont made sure to keep pace with them. His chest was heaving and his legs were straining, but he wasn't about to give up. After all…Ash wouldn't give up or let something like shortness of breath stop him.

"Yeah! Come on, brother!" Bonnie yelled next to him, like a coach with her star pupil. Clemont's heaving breaths soon turned into roars underneath his voice that were more akin to his lungs screaming for air.

"Incoming horde of Dragonair, dead ahead!" May cried out. Even with his chest heaving with exhaustion, Clemont reached into his pocket and pulled out Bunnelby and Luxray's pokeballs, calling them to help out. He continued keeping his mind focused, and ended up being encouraged by the sight of Chespin keeping pace with him, despite his own exhaustion.

After a few more moments of running, Jenny pulled to a skittering stop in front of a large steel building. Sycamore tumbled from the side car, but was up in seconds to lead them into the building. The second the door was opened, Clemont gave a final triumphant roar and he blasted in to the building. He tripped over his feet and rolled until he landed by a control panel. Looking up, he saw the mayor running back and forth while Monsieur Pierre was propped up on two chairs, his foot looking remarkably swollen and a gash on the side of his head.

"I'll help him out," Brock announced to the group. "Clemont, get that power running. Gary, May, watch the exits and don't let anything in."

"Right!" everyone responded. Clemont huffed in a breath; now was  _not_  the time to let his poor athletic prowess get the better of him. Bonnie thumping him on the back was evidence of that.

"Luxray, you know what to do!" Clemont called out to his faithful Pokémon. Luxray grunted in acknowledgement. He then hopped over the console in the room and over to where a backup generator for the city appeared to be. The system for the town appeared to be very streamlined. Aston looked at Clemont, his forehead full of sweat from his efforts, but he looked rather pleased to see the inventor. "We might not be able to get electricity going through the whole entire city, but if we can get the PA system working, we might be able to help the citizens get out of the city faster."

"That could work…" Aston mused, scratching the top of his head in contemplation. "I've been working on bringing the whole city back online, but the PA system is integral in the Emergency Broadcast…We may be able to bring just that online if we isolate it. You can leave that part to me, my back's not up for the physical labor."

"Don't worry, Mr. Mayor, I've got it!" Clemont assured him. With that assurance, Clemont walked around the console and examined the wires coming from it. Multiple dead monitors surrounded the room, each of them having wires leading from them to the console. Clemont didn't necessarily care about those…all he cared about was the little black box with a speaker inlaid into its center. Running from it were three wires, two of which traced back to the console while one went to the generator.

"Whatever you're going to do, Clemont, hurry it up!" Gary snapped back, as though he were expecting something to happen. Clemont didn't respond, instead he leapt over to the generator and found the blue wire that connected the speaker to it. Within seconds, he'd found the place where the wire attached and he pulled out a wire puller and some other tools, quickly attaching the wire to its proper place.

"Give it a charge, Luxray, and keep going," Clemont said before he turned back to the console. He followed the remaining two wires and slid himself underneath the console. Once he was there, he immediately found the problem he was looking for: someone had placed a small device underneath the console that had shorted out every circuit in the room, just like there had been on the commentator's box. Clemont reached up and pried it off, though he knew that wouldn't be enough to restore power. After another minute of fiddling with the two wires, finally a blue spark appeared, showing that he was successful. "Give it a try, mayor!"

"Attention people of Ancien City! Attention people of Ancien City!" Aston said gruffly, and to Clemont's elation, his voice echoed all around them through the city. "Our city is in a state of emergency. Please, do not panic! I repeat, do not panic! Instead, do your best to make your way to the northern, eastern and southern exits from town. Trainers that participated in the Tournament will be there to assist you and keep you safe. I rep-"

"Electivire, use Protect on the console and generator!" Gary suddenly screamed. Clemont was bowled over by the speed that Electivire used to get within range of protecting everything. For a very brief second, he couldn't understand why Gary had ordered that. Then everyone in the room was blasted backwards. Clemont reached out and grabbed Bonnie, who was screaming loudly and he pulled her in tight as he flew across and hit the wall. His head banged against it, but he was otherwise okay. Most importantly, Bonnie was safe.

When he opened his eyes, he could see Electivire on the ground, nearly fainted from the exertion of using Protect over such a wide area. Thankfully, the console and monitors were intact. The front of the building was not, and the entire roof appeared to have been ripped off, smoke curdling from where it had detached. In the shadow of the smoke, Clemont saw two people emerging while a new horde of Dragon types was circling overhead.

"You really are tenacious," called the familiar voice of Edwin. He was the first one that Clemont saw, Flygon floating up by his side. On the ground around them were Brock, May and their Pokémon, struggling to stand and helping Professor Sycamore and Pierre up. Aston was leaning against the console and Gary had braced himself against the wall. Clemont stood up from his position and walked a little forward. "Guess you have more conviction than I believed. You really want to save everyone, don't you? In hindsight, I should have guessed that your will to do so would lead you here."

"I don't understand," Clemont said. "You stood with us in the tournament against Team Brutal and their inhumane methods; why are you hurting people and Pokémon now?" Edwin didn't answer right away.

"I abhor violence," he finally said. "It's an ugly thing…but sometimes, you need to hurt others to get what's important. This whole world has always been about give and take. If it means roughing up a town or allying with scum or using their methods, I have no problem with it. Zinnia may disagree, but that's her loss."

"Allying with scum, huh?" Gary questioned, now back to being steady on his feet. "You mean scum like Travis. Stop hiding in the shadows and admire your handiwork."

"Oh, so you did notice it was me?" Clemont's eyes widened as he saw the second figure emerge from the smoke. Gary's guess had been absolutely right: there was no mistaking those locks of flaming red hair and the ever-present smirk. Next to him was a Pokémon that fit him far better than any of his previous ones: a Magmortar that stood tall. Obviously it had been Magmortar's efforts that had blasted them all backward.

"You were working for them?" Bonnie screeched from where she was. "Talk about low."

"I'm not working for them!" Travis protested. "I'm just joining the winning side. That's all I care about."

Gary scoffed loudly, taking another pokeball out. Clemont's eyes narrowed at the action; if both Electivire and Umbreon had already been out, just who was Gary about to call into the fray. "You really stink at handling loss, you know that."

"Lose…I haven't lost to you yet," Travis countered. "I'm still here aren't I? And besides, winning is all that matters! I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if it means selling my soul."

"You're pathetic," Gary growled, gripping that same pokeball tighter. "You have no pride as a trainer…because if you did, you'd accept that loss. So…I guess I'll have to beat some common sense into you. Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!"

From within the pokeball emerged the turtle Water type. As soon as it was out, two large and undulating orbs of water formed at Blastoise's cannons before firing out at Travis and Magmortar. Apparently, Gary didn't quite care if he hit the trainer as both of his opponents went flying backwards, well away from the building. The brunet researcher went right after them. To Clemont, it meant that he was leaving him to deal with Edwin.

"Bonnie, I need Dedenne to charge up the generator and keep it going, okay?" he asked, turning to his sister. Bonnie, for a girl who never had words fail her, only nodded and ran over to the generator to give Luxray a reprieve. The Gleam Eyes Pokémon instantly leapt to his trainer's side. At the same time, Aston came to stand next to Clemont.

"So…you show no remorse in hurting my city?" he said in a low tone. Edwin appeared to hear it anyway.

"This is  _our_  city. It was always our city," Edwin snapped angrily. "You're the ones who ruined it. So we have to make things right again, and that's what we'll do. We'll put things back to the way they were meant to be. That way, Zinnia will never cry again, never have had to cry. I couldn't bear that."

"For that…you would hurt my town," Aston rumbled. Clemont turned his head to see Aston shaking furiously, like a volcano about to blow its top. "For this nonsense you would hurt my people."

"We would. Your time's up, old man." Clemont took a step forward, prepared to help defend Aston against whatever incoming attack there would be. Just before he was to order Luxray to use Swift, Aston clasped Clemont's shoulder with a firm grip.

"It's been a long time since I battled," Aston said quietly. "In my prime, I took the Tournament by storm, but I'm an old man now. I hope you'll lend this old man your strength of youth in protecting this town, because I won't surrender it without a fight."

"Of course, Mr. Mayor," Clemont responded emphatically. Aston breathed in deeply and reached into his vest pocket, pulling out an old pokeball that appeared to have been quite used over the years. The way he held it was almost reverently, as though he greatly appreciated and had a strong bond with the Pokémon inside. Knowing that made Clemont straighten his back almost immediately. Then Aston opened the pokeball and within an electrified blue light appeared a Tyranitar, tall and imposing from the many years it had grown. More than that, it's color was different, its skin a more yellowish hue than the usual green. However, despite its age, Tyranitar looked as ready to battle as perhaps it did in its prime. Edwin must have noticed this, because for the first time since his true identity was revealed, he looked frightened. Clemont, on the other hand, was inspired.

"Okay, Tyranitar, are you ready for one last rumble?" Tyranitar let out a huge roar as way of answer. Aston chuckled and patted him on the back. "Excellent, then let's use-"

_ROOOOOOOAR!_

The sound split the air even more than the strange greenish dimension above did, and Clemont nearly fell backward once more. So did Aston, but his Tyranitar caught him. Clemont threw his gaze upwards, knowing that was where the roar had come from. He didn't see anything and felt he had imagined it at first…until Edwin began to speak.

"No…we're not ready yet…" he stammered out, fear laced into his voice. "Not now! Not now! Zinnia…"

"What is it? What's going on?" Clemont screamed. He got his answer a second later when a large, twisting shape passed overhead. Even in the pitch darkness of the city, Clemont didn't need a Pokédex or even his glasses to know what was flying overhead.

It was Rayquaza…only it looked different, like it had undergone Mega Evolution of some kind. Worse than that, though, was that it was preparing a Hyper Beam. Aston, still holding onto Tyranitar sighed at the sight.

"So…the end of days for Ancien City is here," he said sadly. Clemont wasn't sure what to make of this. Why was Rayquaza here? Why was Edwin so frightened? What was happening? None of it made sense to Clemont, and it worried him. That worry then tripled at what Aston said next. "The Draconid Clan truly has brought the end upon us, and no one can save us now."

* * *

The first thing to move was his hand, and it wasn't moving under his command, either. Instead, there was a tiny flying Pokémon that was pushing against it desperately and with all his might. It wasn't doing much good, and the little Pokémon started to cry, its sound waves bouncing all along the corridor, hoping for something good to happen in the midst of his despair. That was when he noticed a twitch in his arms.

"Bat!" the Pokémon cried out happily, taking to the air once again. The boy stood, gasping loudly as though coming out from underwater. His limbs were heavy and he felt like he could pass out again at any moment, but he couldn't afford to stop. He had to move forward.

"Thanks, Noibat," he told the youngest member of his team. "You really saved me."

"Noibatbat!" Noibat chirped happily, flying around his trainer's head in circles before landing on his shoulder. The trainer reached up and patted the little Pokémon before returning him to his pokeball. In fact, he called all of his Pokémon back to their pokeballs except for Pikachu. He had a long climb ahead of him.

Turning his gaze upward, the boy grabbed onto the closest steel beam and hoisted himself upward with a groan. Once he was stable, he looked for the next thing to latch on to in order to help his climb upward. It was a bit of a slow going; some were too far away, others were unstable, but he kept climbing, the jagged metal bruising his hands and making his palms bleed a little. He wasn't giving up, though…he promised her that he wouldn't. And besides, she had something she wanted to say to him, and he wasn't going to let her down by not being there to listen.

"Pikapi…" his Pikachu called out comfortingly, having woken up from his own state of unconsciousness.

"We're almost there, Pikachu…We're almost there," he strained to say through gritted teeth. It was almost incredibly dark in the crater he was climbing up, but he was no stranger to climbing things. Finally, the final steel beam that would allow him access to the coliseum once again came within reach. He stretched upward and latched onto it, beginning to pull up…

…and the beam came apart with a horrible wrenching sound. He began to fall, fearing this would be it despite all his conviction to never give up. Pikachu called out to him, and then a hand clasped his wrist. He couldn't see who it was, but he could feel the hand pulling him up and onto solid ground once more. When he'd regained his bearings, he looked and saw the blond hair and bruised form of Seamus.

"Why…did you help me?" he asked, coughing a little from the exertion. Seamus turned to him, looking just a little embarrassed.

"Because I wanted to," the blond replied in a surly manner. "And…because…I feel like I owe you one, somehow."

"Oh…" he answered back as he stood. Taking out his pokeballs one more time, the trainer called his entire team out. Seamus looked at them and sighed.

"What exactly do you plan to do?"

"Whatever I can. I'm not giving up," Ash replied, turning his hat around on his head. He tightened his gloves and looked at all of his Pokémon. They were exhausted, battered and beaten, but each one of them still had the fight to see this through with their trainer until the very end. "I heard her calling for me. I heard Serena's voice, and I'm not letting her do this alone. I'm going to beat Zinnia.

"Let's go, guys."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Another long chapter, I know…truth be told, these chapters will be long. I have an issue with creating a lot of short chapters. My body and mind just can't do it. That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as the conflict heats up. I certainly had a lot of fun writing it. As we move towards endgame here, I hope you're ready to weather out the storm of this story. So, in any case, what did you all think? What did you enjoy? Tell me everything! I want to know!
> 
> Just a few chapters are left of the story, so please stay with me to the riveting conclusion! In the meantime, please do Review and, as always, Dare to Be Silly.


	19. A Conviction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long chapter ahead folks, but let's look at it this way: it's my ginormous birthday present to you! Why? Because it's my birthday! And also, don't forget that even spheres of water can create explosions…so forgive me my artistic license here. That said, Chapter 19!

Chapter 19

A Conviction

"I don't understand," Clemont cried out. His eyes, along with everyone else's, were glued to the sky. Rayquaza was slithering through it, bright yellow tendrils trailing behind it and providing an eerie, ambient glow to the city. "What is Rayquaza doing here?"

"This one is drawn to destruction and rancor," Edwin responded. The blond inventor turned back to his current opponent and noticed that Edwin looked to be shaking. "Three years ago…it passed through the rift. When that happened, it became lost, wandering the world as it sought out conflict. Whether it tries to end it for peace, or war, not even Zinnia could figure out. So, we perpetuated the rumor that it was drawn to the meteorites."

"Then…you knew it would come here!" Clemont yelled at the older boy. Edwin tipped his head back, eyes staring unblinking at the ominous sight above. Clemont wasn't sure how to handle that, so he followed his eyes and watched as between Rayquaza's jutting jaw, a black orb formed. Soundless screams leapt from Clemont's mouth as the black orb became a beam that fired in a line across the town. Another explosion rocked the city, although they were able to keep their balance this time. "Why would you call something that destructive?"

"We had to!" Edwin yelled at him furiously, bringing his eyes down. "Rayquaza is the link, the reason we could pass through. In order to fully open the dimensions wide enough to get to its pocket, we needed it here."

"That's the reason you hurt these people…" Brock growled from behind Clemont. "What's your aim in this? Why are you doing all of this? If you don't answer our questions, then every one of us could turn up dead."

"Rayquaza definitely doesn't look happy," May pointed out solemnly. The Sky High Pokémon appeared to answer that claim with yet another Hyper Beam that exploded across the city. If this were to keep up, Clemont knew that no one was safe. Their only chances of survival, if Edwin's words could be trusted, would be to either shut the link that appeared to have formed between dimensions…or to defeat the Draconids and stop the assault on the city, thus ending Rayquaza's need to be there. Edwin started laughing.

"Ugh…nothing ever goes right!" the Draconid cried out. "The only thing we were really successful at this whole week was not standing out in the tournament. Other than that, everything goes from bad to worse! Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to make do. Rayquaza arrived earlier than expected, but I still have things to do."

"Not if we have anything to say about it. Luxray, use Swift!" Luxray bounded forward, and subsequently leapt into the air before his tail glowed yellow. Like a catapult, Luxray flicked his tail forward and shining stars flew from it. Edwin didn't make a single command yet, nor did his Flygon. Maybe he had seen through Clemont's strategy. "Keep it up!"

"Tyranitar, Hone Claws," Aston called out. The mayor sounded anything but old, regardless of his looks. In fact, more than ever, he seemed firm in his resolve to protect his town. The shiny Tyranitar brought his claws together, and clinked them against each other, like he was sharpening them. As he did so, a small red aura surrounded Tyranitar, like it was growing more powerful. Clemont couldn't confess to knowing what Aston was about to do, but Luxray was doing his job by making a practical storm of stars with Swift that was obscuring the Armor Pokémon from view. "Now, Rock Slide."

"Tar!" Tyranitar roared, raising its arms to the darkened sky. Around its body emerged glowing rings of white, opaque in appearance, though Clemont knew just what would come soaring through them. Sure enough, rocks the size of Luxray's body went pelting through the haze of golden stars, right for Flygon.

"Dodge it and use Screech!" Edwin called out, his higher pitch suggesting that he wasn't as confident in winning this battle as he appeared. As the rocks and stars continued on their collision course for the Mystic Pokémon, Flygon fluttered upward, weaving its way through the incoming attacks. Once the majority of those attacks appeared to have passed, Flygon darted inward and opened its mouth.

 _Skreeeeeeee!_  It sounded nothing like Flygon's usual cry, echoing out over the entire open air of the maintenance facility. Clemont clamped his ears shut and saw Bonnie do the same over by the generator. This was no different for the others nearby as Brock's face was scrunched into one of extreme displeasure. May was huddling down, pulling her bandanna down over her ears as Sycamore and Pierre were clamping each other's ears. Worse than that, both Luxray and Tyranitar appeared to be having extremely adverse reactions to the sound, the both of them shaking as Flygon swooped towards them.

"Now, Earth Power." Clemont looked at Edwin like he was mad. Not that Earth Power was the most devastating move, but used in such close quarters, it could potentially hurt everyone in the general vicinity, while also destroying the generator.  _Of course…maybe that's what he's trying to do_ , Clemont thought to himself. His brain raced into overdrive, trying to think of a way to counter the move, or at least give them a chance to prevent it from destroying the generator. Flygon's body was glowing with a brownish-earthy glow to it and the ground around them and their Pokémon began to rumble.

"Bonnie, move out of the way!" Clemont yelled to his sister. She nodded, grabbed Dedenne and started dashing over to Brock. As Bonnie moved away, a small spark from the generator appeared to stick to Dedenne's cheek and Clemont had an idea.

"Luxray, use Electric Terrain!" Clemont commanded quickly.

"Luxray!" the Gleam Eyes Pokémon roared out. Bolts of electricity began to whirl around his body, and despite Flygon's immunity to electric type moves, it backed off a little, as if afraid of the burst of energy. Tyranitar was able to stomp forward in the midst of the electricity flowing around the area and grab onto Flygon's wings. The rumbling underneath their feet ceased, and a field of electricity covered the whole entire maintenance area. A number of extra screens lit up, and around some part of the city closest to them, Clemont could see a few lights flicker back into existence. With Luxray's move activated, they had no more need to worry about keeping the PA system active.

"Tyranitar, use another Rock Slide," Aston commanded calmly. Yet again, Tyranitar lifted its arms up and the white wormholes of energy appeared overhead. This time, Flygon had nowhere to run. It may have gotten free from Tyranitar's grip but the Armor Pokémon now had the opportunity to issue its attack, and its close range caused the large rocks to fly outward and slam into Flygon. When the rocks tumbled to the ground, they broke apart and bounded across the street. Edwin stepped to the side so that he wasn't hurt by the debris, though a bit of the stones that broke off collided with his face. Tyranitar kept his arms wide and the rocks continued sailing out, trying to not give Flygon a chance to break out and counter.

"Draco Meteor." The command was so cold and calculated, Clemont had to wonder if Edwin had been planning to use that attack from the beginning in order to cause as much devastation as possible. Flygon, despite the barrage of rocks, lifted its head to the sky and opened its mouth wide. From its gaping maw it fired a small orange orb of glowing energy high into the sky, almost like a beacon.

"Luxray, watch its movements and use Swift to block it," Clemont said to his strongest Pokémon. Luxray nodded in acknowledgement. Behind him, Brock had grabbed the microphone and was continuing to dictate Aston's instructions to the populace. May, however, had her Blaziken ready for battle and had called a Glaceon out to do battle.

"Blaziken, get ready to block, and Glaceon, you use Ice Shard to hit it as fast as possible," May called, just as prepared to prevent as much damage as possible. Clemont looked back at her and she gave a thumbs up just as the orange light split into the multiple meteors they were all expecting. Clemont watched Luxray's eyes lighting up as it attempted to track all of the falling meteors, each of them having a flaming tail streaming towards the nearby vicinity of the city.

"Go, and use Swift!" Luxray leapt on top of part of the broken building to give itself altitude before he swung his glowing tail to send the barrage of stars at the descending meteors. The stars sailed out, impacting with each of them one by one. Some of the stars missed the meteors entirely. With Glaceon and Blaziken's aid, however, not a single one of the meteors managed to hit the console or the monitors, or even the generator. Glaceon's Ice Shards flew out even faster than Luxray's Swift, freezing the meteors into harmless chunks of ice that broke apart before they hit the ground. If any did manage to get close, Blaziken would kick them back up, making them explode upon impact with each other. For those few that did manage to make it to the ground, they appeared to hit unoccupied homes or empty streets.

"Tyranitar, stop Flygon with Giga Impact!" Aston commanded emphatically. Tyranitar stomped forward once more, while Flygon flitted backward in an attempt to avoid getting hit by the rampaging Pokémon. It didn't look like it would do any good; Tyranitar was moving too fast, tearing up the stones of the streets as it did so. Yellow streaks of light surrounded Tyranitar's charging body before it was enveloped in a purple glow. The two colors combined together, blending together in a haze that was an example of the power held in Tyranitar's body. Flygon was slammed into, its wing crumpling against its body from the attack as it was sent off course.

Edwin watched his Pokémon reeling from the attack, but Flygon was still able to flutter just a little above his head. He sighed with a frown on his face before opening his mouth to give a command when Flygon suddenly flinched, purple shocks emanating around its body. Clemont adjusted his glasses a little, surprised at the effect.

"It was poisoned by Croagunk when we battled before," Brock pointed out. "Obviously he never caught it."

"We need more cover. Sandstorm," Edwin instructed loudly, throwing his hand out to give the command. Flygon, despite exhaustion evident in its body, rose up a little and spread its wings wide. Tyranitar seemed to look back at his trainer, and Clemont did the same. Aston smiled a little, looking almost reminiscent as he nodded. Tyranitar appeared to grin at this and he stepped forward a little, opening his mouth with a feral grin. Flygon swept its wings forward, and just like when it had taken them all out in the stadium, sand whipped up into the air and whirled around.

"You've made a miscalculation for someone so smart," Aston pointed out. "You can use all the sand you want, but Tyranitar, like your Flygon, won't be affected. He's weathered far worse in his lifetime, trust me. Now, time for Blizzard."

"Tyranitar!" the Armor Pokémon bellowed before his open mouth glowed white. Clemont watched in complete amazement as the Ice type attack flew outward from Tyranitar's open mouth. In that single instant, the sand no longer mattered as every single particle was turned into glistening ice that dropped harmlessly to the ground and melted on impact. Flygon, on the other hand, didn't walk away unharmed as its whole body was encased in ice, and the Mystic Pokémon fell to the ground. One more convulsion of poison later and Flygon was in a useless heap on the ground.

"You…" Edwin grunted out. He didn't look happy about the result of the battle as another tremor shook the city. More screams rose from the city and from Clemont's periphery, he could see the dimension in the sky appearing to split wider. They had to finish this soon before whatever the Draconids were planning could come to pass. The more pressing matter, however, was the Draconid in front of him, who was pulling out another pokeball. Clemont's fists clenched, and his body moved before he could think. He wasn't letting thought or logical reason stop him from doing what needed to be done, and Clemont did something he never thought he would do in his life: he punched someone in the face.

"Stop it right now!" he demanded as Edwin flew back, the pokeballs tumbling from his grasp and rolling across the ground without opening. Clemont flew onto him and pulled him up. "We're all human, aren't we? Why are you hurting people?" Edwin just spat in his face. The saliva dripped down his glasses, but Clemont held firmly to Edwin's collar, staring the older boy down.

"You're  _not_  human to me…" Edwin said with a quiver. "You're  _monsters_ …"

"What does that mean?" Clemont screamed as a sudden bolt of lightning emerged from a little down the street. Clemont looked up and saw that Gary was busy battling Travis, and their voices were carrying over. It appeared that Travis' Magmortar had used Thunderbolt, which was now shocking Gary's Blastoise, though the water type appeared to be taking it quite fine, like it was testing its limits. Magmortar didn't appear to stop there either, keeping its cannon locked on Blastoise as it fired the turquoise sphere indicative of a Focus Blast.

"Catch it, Blastoise," Gary yelled loudly. The Shellfish Pokémon planted its feet firmly into a defensive position and held its stubby arms out. The Focus Blast spiraled through the air, ultimately heading for Blastoise's chest. Yet, despite the speed and power behind the Focus Blast, Blastoise got its claws into it and managed to throw it right into the ground. "Now, nail Magmortar with Hydro Pump."

"Toise!" Blastoise affirmed, cocking both of its cannons and firing powerful streams of water from them. Magmortar was unable to block or make a counterattack. Both streams hit it and drove it back against the wall of a nearby home, causing damage to it.

"Hit the stupid thing with a Thunderbolt! We can't lose again!" Travis screamed. Underneath Clemont, Edwin appeared to be breathing heavily and the inventor, despite his relative lack of strength, hauled him to his feet. Magmortar looked to be firing yet another Thunderbolt at Blastoise, but Gary looked far more prepared, or judicious, than he was with the first time the attack had been used.

"Withdraw." Blastoise appeared to smirk and all five of its appendages (since Clemont thought that was the only way to describe its head in that moment) popped into its shell as the Thunderbolt collided. While Blastoise's shell rocked back and forth a little from the attack, when it ceased, Blastoise was still able to spray powerful jets of water, just like Tierno's had during the battle earlier in the day. Now it made sense to Clemont how Gary had been able to so effectively deal with Tierno. Blastoise began spinning a little and the Hydro Pump sprayed everywhere, soaking walls, the ground, and even Magmortar itself. The Blast Pokémon recoiled and even from where Clemont was, he could see a smirk worm its way onto Travis' face.

"Oh, this is too good…" Travis yelled out with a bit of maniacal laughter. "You've been in this situation before haven't you? Your Silver Conference battle with Ash. Seamus watched that stuff so much, I had all of his battles ingrained into my head. Now I know how to beat you. Magmortar, Fire Blast on the ground!"

"Mortar…" Magmortar grumbled out, aiming its cannon at the ground and firing the star shaped fire onto the stone tiles. Clemont could see the tiles heating up in seconds, beginning to glow red from the heat and a small amount of steam came from them. The heat raced along towards Blastoise's feet. Gary sighed.

"Cool it off," he said lazily. Blastoise smirked again, and Clemont had the distinct feeling that Gary was purposely triggering the trap that Travis had set. Blastoise's cannons aimed downward and sprayed cold water on the tiles. The effect was instantaneous and steam rushed upward, obscuring the two trainers from view. Clemont wanted to call out, but Gary managed to say something first. "Focus on what you need to do. I've got this guy."

"Okay!" Clemont affirmed, turning back to Edwin. "Tell us what you're planning. Why did you call Rayquaza here? Who are you? Where are you from? Why do you consider us monsters?"

"Because you're not like us," Edwin said. "You haven't faced the despair we have. You got to enjoy the fruits of this world. You got to live in peace. But now…now you've gotten a taste of the kind of pain and despair we've gone through! Now you know what it felt like to live in the world our people were forced into!"

"You mean…you're from another world…?" Clemont asked, his mind reeling from the very possibility. Not that it was  _impossible_ ; after all, Ash had traveled into a mirror universe just a few months ago, so the possibility was there. Yet, from Edwin's implications, it almost seemed like all of these Draconids were from another world. Was that from another planet? Or was it more likely to be a dimension? Clemont remembered the Dragon Tamer Festival. He hadn't seen the play, but during dinner with Trevor, the ginger-haired boy had told him enough: about the Draconids disappearing from history; about disappearing to another world. "You're trying to change history?"

"No…just make it what it should be," Edwin said angrily.

"They're trying to get Jirachi…" Aston finally remarked. "You want that wish, don't you?" Clemont's brain was flying into overdrive. Everything was starting to come together. All of Ancien City's legends, combined with what was going on. They had done something to the meteorites in the city to open a dimension, but in order to open the pocket dimension where their true goal lied, they needed Rayquaza. In order to do that, they needed to cause destruction on a large enough scale to draw it out, only Rayquaza had arrived early and was now wreaking havoc. Clemont wasn't sure how Rayquaza could serve as a link, or even how it connected to needing to be done on this day, but he knew one thing: Serena needed to know.

"Mayor, is the PA system connected to the castle?"

"Of course. It goes both ways," Aston answered. "We communicate between the castle and the town consistently during festival time. There's even a communications area on the top floor where the other meteorite is."

"So, I can contact Serena!" Clemont said. He let go of Edwin, and the Draconid flopped to the ground. He didn't get up, but Clemont didn't care. He slid over to the console and started searching for the switch he wanted to connect to Ancien Castle. Luxray padded over and his tail touched a small button on the console. Clemont smiled at his Pokémon and then pressed it. A different monitor lit up now and showed there was a connection between Ancien Castle and the town. There was a problem, though: it could only be broadcast  _from_  the castle. And that meant he couldn't tell Serena what she needed to face Zinnia. "What do I do?"

"Big brother, I know you can do it!" Bonnie exclaimed triumphantly. She came to stand at his other side with a wide grin on her face. Clemont looked at her, and even he could feel his little sister's confidence flowing into him. Correcting his slightly askew glasses, Clemont smiled back at her. No matter the times they fought, or argued about stupid things, Bonnie always believed the best in him, and he loved her for it. Right now, she was the reason he was here, doing whatever needed to be done.

Another Hyper Beam razed the city, causing more tremors and rubble to fall. Then Clemont saw something else: a blue dragon made of pure energy that was hurtling right for Bonnie. There was no time to think, so he pushed her down to the ground. The blue energy sailed over her head, illuminating her face…

…and drove right into Clemont's chest.

He flew back, pain searing across his chest as he slammed into one of the useless monitors on the wall, shattering the glass to pieces. He coughed loudly and looked down. His jumpsuit was ripped through and his chest actually looked like it was bleeding a little. Clemont looked up just in time for another attack to strike him, this time looking like it was a Dragon Breath.

"CLEMONT!" Bonnie screamed at the resulting explosion. It was so loud and high-pitched that Clemont could hear it over the ringing and the sound of blood racing into his ears. His body fell down, landing softly on his arm. His attention was waning as pain engulfed him. The only thing he knew was that Bonnie was at his side, gripping him. He could feel her tears falling onto his sleeve, but he couldn't respond. "Clemont! Clemont! Get up!"

"Denene!" Dedenne cried. Even Squishy was making sounds of distress, but he really felt like he couldn't move. He could only stare ahead and see what was going on.

"Please! Please, Brock, help my brother!" Bonnie cried out. Her voice didn't sound right; too high-pitched, too squeaky, too…scared.

"Aw, I thought that would have killed someone," called a callous voice. Clemont could barely move his head, but what he did see was Alice atop her Dragonair, landing next to the fallen Edwin. "Honestly, Edwin. I'd have thought you could handle this. Well…you did your best. I'm sure Zinnia's almost done with preparations at the castle judging from the sky."

"You people…" Brock said, and Clemont's blurry vision subsided for a moment to see him stand furiously. "Here I was, thinking that Team Brutal was bad enough, but you have no value for any life but your own."

"That's untrue," Alice snapped angrily. "I care deeply for people's lives, just none from this filthy world. Surely, Edwin made that clear to you."

"It doesn't matter," Brock yelled. Clemont could tell he was angry as his head pounded. He so wanted to go to sleep right now, but Bonnie's crying was telling him that he shouldn't. "You need to learn something about life. As a Pokémon doctor, I plan to teach you that lesson."

"Do you now?" Alice giggled out. "Too bad you're just a bit player in  _our_  plan. Not even that…you're more like an extra."

"Well, that sounds very arrogant, and that's my line in any case."

"Don't go violating copyright!" Clemont felt his lips twitch in a small smile. He recognized the voices, and for the first time since he'd started traveling with Ash, he was happy to hear them. Alice appeared to whip around angrily at being both contradicted and interrupted.

"What are you even talking about?" she yelled with irritation. A high pitched voice rang out with laughter.

"Prepare for trouble, we're back on the scene!"

"And make it double, we're joining the good team!"

"To protect the world literally from devastation!"

"To unite all trainers within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend  _our_  reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!" Jessie cried as Gourgeist popped out and seemed to shine a spot light on her. Inkay was quick to follow.

"And James!"

"Team Rocket's blasting back into this fight!"

"Surrender now, Draconids, because we've got you in our sights!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!" Clemont raised his head a little, but the strain it put on his chest was enough to bring it back down again. He did, however, catch a sight of the impressively posing Team Rocket. He was actually glad they were here.

"Now look what you've done," Jessie said pompously. "You've made the little twerpette cry when it's clearly our job!"

"Indeed!" James concurred. "We don't like it when people get in the way of Team Rocket conquering the world. So, we'll join forces with the twerps and get rid of you!"

"Ain't dat da truth?" Meowth finished for his companions. "All right, twoips, let's work together for once. What do ya say?" Clemont felt Bonnie look at them in a moment of actual hope, and he even saw May and Brock nod their heads from where they were.

"Bonnie," Brock said sternly from his position. "The both of us and Team Rocket will take care of Alice. After that, I'm going to help your brother. Just sit tight until then."

From the way Bonnie nodded her head, Clemont knew that she trusted in his words. With that unspoken confirmation, the three forces leapt into battle against one another, a battle that could have very well determined the fate of the world.

* * *

Ash's entire body was aching as he ran forward. Occasionally, this sharp jab of pain would travel along his body, or exhaustion would cause him to stumble. Funnily enough, whenever that would happen, someone was right next to him, pushing him back into an upright position. The strange part was that that individual was Seamus.

"So…why did you come with me again?" Ash asked. He was still a little bitter over Seamus' actions during the tournament. The blond didn't answer right away, averting his eyes from the boy who had been his rival during the tournament. Ash's eyes flitted upward, watching Hawlucha, Noibat and Talonflame gliding along. They looked a little tired, but each of them were keeping a decent pace. It was harder for himself, Pikachu and Greninja to keep up.

"I don't feel like dying, either," Seamus finally said. Next to him, Alakazam was floating along using its Psychic power. Truth be told, Ash was a little surprised that Seamus hadn't released it already, but from the way he would spare concerned glances at the Psi Pokémon, there didn't appear to be any fear of that. "And besides, you fought that girl after she nearly choked me, didn't you? The one with the Salamence. What was her name?"

"Zinnia," Ash said, spitting the name like it was poison. Seamus looked at him with a frown as they continued to run. The raven-haired trainer raised his hands and made sure his cap was secure, his brain drifting back and forth between the two girls on his mind. He could swear that he had heard Serena's voice screaming for him, even after he had passed out. He also thought he heard her saying something to the other trainers in the stadium in the time. That, he figured, he hadn't imagined considering the coliseum was empty except for himself and Seamus when they left it. Now they were running through an abandoned part of town for the castle. That destination had been suggested by Seamus, and despite the blond boy's brutish tendencies, it was the only piece of information he had to find Serena.

Then there was Zinnia: the dark-haired girl that had blasted in like a thunderbolt and annihilated his entire team without a second thought. He didn't know what she was planning, and he really didn't care. Ash wasn't about to think about it either; after all, he was completely an "act first and think later" kind of guy. That was probably why he accepted Seamus' offer of joining him right away…kind of. So, running forward, he came to a single conclusion about Zinnia: she was strong and needed to be stopped. More than that, though, Serena was probably heading for her, and there was no way he'd let her face that ridiculous kind of strength alone. Suddenly, the sound of Seamus' footsteps stopped and Ash himself stopped.

"How were you able to beat me?" he asked quietly, as though he was entirely unsure of himself. It was probably the most vulnerable Ash had heard him. "I thought…All my Pokémon were strong, but…"

"It's not about strength," Ash said. Seamus looked up at him with a blink. "You said that you wanted to be famous, right? Well, was that all you were focused on?"

"Of course it was!" Seamus snapped, as though the thought of anything else was ridiculous. "I focused on my dream, cut away everything else. If it wouldn't help me with my dream, then why keep it around?"

"That's where you're wrong," Ash said sternly. He walked up to Seamus and put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Nothing we do is a waste of time. I once told Serena that, and I meant every word of it."

"But…wasting time is just that: a waste of time!" Seamus said exasperatedly. He looked like he was ready to panic, like whatever Ash was trying to say was ripping apart all of his preconceived notions. Ash almost rolled his eyes; and others thought that  _he_  was dense.

"No, it's not! If you cut away everything else and don't take the time to enrich your life with experiences, then you're no better than a mindless robot," Ash pointed out. "I've been through a lot with my team, and that's why they're so strong. More than that, though, that's why they keep getting up again and again to fight. We believe in each other, constantly."

"So…you're saying that if I believe in Alakazam, he'll win all the time?" Ash shook his head. This boy was more thick-headed than he realized.

"Not at all," he told Seamus. "No Pokémon can win all the time. Even the Champion has Pokémon that lose a battle, right? But you can learn from a loss. Sure, you'll suffer setback after setback, and you may not even achieve your dream. Take it from me…But you gotta keep getting back up. If you believe in your Pokémon, they'll support you whether you win or lose and you'll both grow."

"Huh…?" Seamus scoffed out, though it wasn't in a disbelieving tone. Ash thumped his chest proudly as he smiled, hoping that he had finally made his point. Seamus looked over to Alakazam who nodded a little, like it was agreeing with Ash's statement. After a moment, Seamus sighed and stepped back from Ash, holding his hand out. "I…can't promise anything. I'm not like you, I guess. But…maybe I won't…get rid of Alakazam…"

"That's a start!" Ash said, reaching out and taking the hand, shaking it firmly. "Just remember, it may take you a while, but if you never give up and work together with your Pokémon, you'll eventually reach your dream. You just have to have conviction that you will."

"Working together?" Seamus asked. A smirk found its way back on his face, but it wasn't callous like it had been the last five days. "Your girlfriend said the same thing."

"Serena's smart; so if she said it, it must be right!" Ash said, pumping his fist. Pikachu climbed up to Ash's head and emulated his trainer. Of course, Ash tried to ignore that Seamus had called Serena his girlfriend. "And right now, she needs help! Let's get to that castle!"

"Right." Both trainers turned around and began running again.

Signs of the battle inside the city were evident everywhere they went. Fainted Dragon types littered the street in any direction they turned. Sometimes a person would be strewn amongst them, most of them knocked out while others just sat there silently sobbing. Ash's heart hurt, wanting to help them out, but he knew there was only one way to do that: defeating Zinnia. Finally, the duo and their Pokémon broke out of the city and were on the path to the castle, drenched in complete darkness except for the eerie green light.

"I'm almost there…" Ash breathed out. His heart was hammering against his chest, and Ash was pretty certain it wasn't from the complete and utter fatigue coursing through his body. No, that was being washed away by the adrenaline. Hearing Serena being called his "girlfriend" on the other hand…Not that he was fully aware of all the connotations that came with the word, but he'd heard Misty, May and Dawn deny being it more than few times. He'd even heard Brock ask many,  _many_  girls to be that with him. But to call Serena that…it somehow felt right. It was like there was no need to argue it. She was precious to him, and she drove him forward. Her voice had called him back and was now making him run faster, just so he could be at her side to protect her.

The castle gates were now in full view, though Ash and his Pokémon were too far away to do anything. He could still see and hear the battle taking place at the entrance.

"Aromatisse, use Charge Beam!" Aria was commanding as she clutched her arm. Ash couldn't see what kind of wound she was supporting, but from the way she gripped her arm, it couldn't have been a good one.

"Slurpuff and Sceptile, join Charge Beam with Electro Ball and Dragon Pulse!" Both of Sawyer's Pokémon obeyed him immediately. While Aromatisse was forming the crackling orb of electricity that shot a beam outward, Slurpuff launched its own ball of electricity with a cry while Sceptile fired off the purplish beam that looked like a dragon. The three attacks combined, ripping forward in a swirl of red and yellow.

"Druddigon, counter with Dragon Tail," Jael appeared to order. Ash watched as the Druddigon's tail glowed blue before it whipped around and the two sets of attacks collided. Druddigon proved to be the stronger, using its Dragon Tail to aim the attack downward, where it exploded. However, the Cave Pokémon shuddered a bit, having taken some damage despite its deflection. Then Ash saw Dawn's Buneary hop out of nowhere.

"Ice Beam, Buneary and Piplup!"

"Buneary!" the Rabbit Pokémon spun around in midair to gain altitude before it fired a blue, frosty beam from its mouth. A similar beam was firing from the ground, evidently from Piplup. Druddigon was turning slowly on its feet and both of the Ice Beams struck it. The frozen residue from the attacks encased Druddigon's feet before beginning to travel up its body. At the same time, Buneary's Ice Beam was freezing the Cave Pokémon's wings onto its back. Druddigon's arms tried reaching backwards now to get its wings free, but Piplup's Ice Beam was doing an impressive job in traveling up its elbows.

"Keep it up, you two! We've almost frozen it!" Dawn called out. From where Ash was, he could hear just how exhausted she was, and from the weakening beams of Buneary and Piplup, they were drawing from reserves.

"Haxorus, use Swords Dance," Kael ordered calmly. Haxorus gave a loud cry as blue swords of energy surrounded its body, whirling around quickly like a shield of blades. Through the swords, Haxorus' body glowed blue and Ash pumped his legs. That Haxorus looked strong, and with how exhausted the three combatants looked, they wouldn't stand up against it for long. "Break Druddigon's ice."

"Thanks, bro," Jael said. Kael sounded like he sighed tiredly as Haxorus stomped over and with a single swipe of its axe head, broke the ice off Druddigon. "Get them with a Night Slash!"

"Drudd!" the Dragon type yelled out, one of its arms glowing purple. Druddigon didn't fly off, but its wings flapped enough to drive it forward with speed. Buneary landed next to Piplup just as Druddigon's claw came down and struck the both of them. They flew back with a pained cry, but Dawn was ready for a counterattack.

"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Dawn screamed. Togekiss soared downward from the sky, spinning as she descended, a blue orb of compressed air forming by her mouth. As she got close to Druddigon, Togekiss let loose the Air Slash. The sphere of air slammed into Druddigon as Togekiss steadied into a glide along the ground. Ash watched as the sphere seemed to expand on impact like a brilliant ribbon of air that was practically choking Druddigon. Aria stepped forward at that moment.

"Sawyer, let's take out that Druddigon," she yelled. Sawyer stepped next to the Kalos Queen and Ash noticed his hands weren't anywhere near his notebook.

"Yeah! Sceptile, get ready!" Sawyer called out confidently. Sceptile planted his feet, watching whatever move Aria was going to make in the next moment. She didn't delay in that next move.

"Delphox, hit Druddigon with Fire Spin, but leave some gaps in the spirals," Aria said, her voice full of leadership and confidence. It was no surprise, given how she had handled the situation on the third day of the tournament. Ash cast his gaze to the side to see Seamus and Alakazam keeping pace with him and his Pokémon. They were almost there. Delphox waved its wand in a circular motion, a spiral of flame issuing from it ceaselessly. Most importantly was that even though the ribbons of flame were hitting Druddigon and preventing it from attacking, there was a large gap in the center. In fact, it was large enough for Sceptile.

Sceptile jumped into the center of the Fire Spin and the warm air inside of it carried the Grass type forward and sent it spinning. Despite this rather strange effect, the Forest Pokémon had no problem adapting to it, riding the spin with little issue. As he got closer to Druddigon, green blades protruded from Sceptile's arms and caught on fire. When Sceptile reached the end, the Fire Spin ceased and Sceptile slashed downward on Druddigon's chest, before swiping across with its other blades. Sceptile didn't stop and continued slashing until Druddigon had to cross its arms to defend itself. The flaming blades caused small explosions to race across Druddigon's chest.

"Now, use Dragon Pulse!"

"Scep….tile!" Sceptile screamed as the purple beam blasted out from Sceptile's mouth and sent Druddigon flying. The Cave Pokémon tumbled across the ground until it slammed into the castle wall and collapsed.

"Get it with Dragon Claw." Haxorus, who was far too close to where Sceptile had finished Druddigon, raged inward with glowing green claws. Sawyer didn't even have time to throw out his order, but it was clear that Sceptile guessed what it would be because his Leaf Blade emerged again in time to block. Green sparks flew out as the two essentially locked blades, neither backing off.

"Ice Beam!"

"Charge Beam!" Dawn and Aria commanded their Pokémon simultaneously as all three beams collided with Haxorus' body, allowing the Leaf Blade through to slash downward. Haxorus stumbled backward, a small patch of ice on its left shoulder. The Axe Jaw Pokémon appeared to regard it with discontent but Kael looked like he was ready to end the battle.

"Come on, guys, we've gotta get there now!" Ash yelled, but his battle cry wasn't heard to the other three trainers over Kael's command.

"Outrage!" Haxorus' body glowed an ominous red that appeared to blast outward. Aria covered her face with crossed arms at the outpouring of energy and Sawyer got behind her to prevent her from falling over. Togekiss seemed to do the same for Dawn as the blast receded, though the red glow around Haxorus didn't fade. Its eyes were the same color, too. Ash's urgency increased tenfold. "Get them."

"Rus!" Haxorus bellowed, its screech making Ash squint from how shattering it was. Haxorus sped forward and brought a claw slamming down on Sceptile. The Forest Pokémon flew backwards, falling right into Delphox. Within seconds, Haxorus was upon the pair and driving a Dragon Claw into both. Sceptile appeared to try and block it, but neither were a match for the powered up Haxorus. Then the Dragon type whipped around and lunged for Slurpuff and Aromatisse, the green glow being traded out from a pitch black on its claws. Neither Pokémon was fast enough to move and Shadow Claw ripped through them. They were out faster than Aria and Sawyer could scream their names.

"Piplup, Buneary, use Dizzy Punch and Hydro-"

"Finish it," Kael told his Pokémon coldly. All that Ash saw was a flash of green and red, almost like a frightening Christmas combination, as Haxorus blitzed past them and both Piplup and Buneary hit the ground. The feral Axe Jaw Pokémon then turned to Dawn and Togekiss. "Now, your turn."

"Hawlucha, use Karate Chop, and Talonflame, Steel Wing!" Ash yelled. Finally, they were in range. Talonflame swooped in towards the glowing Haxorus, his wings glowing white. The Dragon type didn't see the attack coming as Talonflame slammed into its stomach with the wing, driving it back. Right after, Hawlucha dashed up from the ground and nailed its jaw with a Karate Chop.

"Alakazam, immobilize it with Psychic," Seamus commanded from next to Ash. Alakazam's eyes glowed blue, and despite the difference in distance, Haxorus' red glow was replaced by a cold blue one as it stopped moving.

"Ash, you're here!" Dawn breathed out in clear elation. Ash offered his bluenette friend a quick smile before staring ahead seriously.

"Let's end this! Noibat, nail it with Supersonic and then Acrobatics!" Noibat fluttered forward and opened his mouth wide, making high pitched waves travel out and hit Haxorus. The Axe Jaw Pokémon recoiled, its body hunkering down in pain. Then Noibat flitted through the air quickly and slammed down upon Haxorus' head. Hawlucha gave the little Pokémon a rousing fist. "Now, Greninja, use Aerial Ace and Pikachu use Iron Tail!"

"Gren!"

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled out. He leapt upward, on top of Greninja's head as the Ninja Pokémon ran forward. As Greninja's blue cross shaped Aerial Ace started to form in front of him, Pikachu leapt off. A moment passed and Alakazam released the Psychic in time for Greninja to impact with Haxorus. Pikachu came down from the air and struck with his glowing tail on Haxorus' back. The compression from both sides made Haxorus howl in pain and Greninja finished pushing him into his fainted companion. Pikachu quickly leapt out of harm's way as Haxorus went down. Ash breathed outward a little.

"How did you survive?" Kael asked angrily. It was, perhaps, the angriest Ash had ever seen the burly trainer, considering he and his brother had acted so goofy the whole entire tournament.

"I just got up," Ash answered cheekily. Kael frowned, though the angry expression never left his eyes.

"Well, guess we can't make that mistake again," he responded. Ash watched his hand moving for another pokeball on his belt. If he reached it, Ash knew that the battle would be never-ending.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu ran forward and blasted his famous bolt of electricity outward until it impacted with both of the brothers. The ensuing result was a small explosion that made both Jael and Kael fly back until they landed on their Pokémon, both of them passed out. Obviously, they wouldn't be getting answers from the duo. Ash turned to the three trainers that had been there before he arrived. "Where's Serena?"

"We sent her ahead," Aria answered. "She and Miette are heading upward in the castle."

"Okay," Ash said. He knew what his next destination was: wherever Serena and Zinnia were. He offered a nod to Seamus, who nodded back.

"I'll hold the fort out here. You people need to take a rest," Seamus told them. Dawn stepped forward angrily.

"Why should we listen to you?" she spat, leaning forward with her hands on her knees.

"You don't have to," he answered with a shrug. "You look exhausted, though. Alakazam and I can handle things out here since it looks like we might have more trouble before long." Dawn apparently wanted to argue the point, but Aria held the grace and maturity to put her hand on the bluenette's shoulder.

"He was our enemy, but right now we're united in the same goal," Aria said simply. Dawn heaved a sigh but nodded in admitting she was right. "Ash, you can help Serena and Miette, then?"

"Yeah, I c-" He flinched in the middle of his sentence and dropped to his knees. The pain and fatigue raced through him, and judging from his sight, every one of his Pokémon but Noibat looked worse for the wear. Ash's hand flew to his chest and clutched it, still feeling the smarting pain of that Hyper Beam on it. It was both a deterrent and a reminder of why he needed to get to Serena as fast as possible. Aria, Dawn and Sawyer were at his side in seconds. "I'm fine…"

"Yeah, right, Ash!" Dawn snapped. "You look like you're ready to pass out!"

"She's right," Sawyer said concernedly. If this were any other time, Ash would have been grateful for their concern. But right now, when so much was at stake and his actions could sway the tide of battle, he couldn't afford to let a little pain take him over.

"That doesn't matter," he shot back to them, pulling himself to his feet. It hurt a little, but he managed to stand tall, though his hat happened to fall to the ground. "You guys can keep going, right?"

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu called, thumping his chest proudly. His other Pokémon did much the same, showing how willing they were to push forward. Ash turned back to the three that were worrying over him.

"See? My Pokémon will keep going, so I will, too. We never give up until the end!"

"Ash," Aria said sternly, "I admire your fortitude, but there's a line between stubbornness, tenacity and foolishness."

"I don't care!" Ash snapped at her, and Aria took her hand back in surprise. The raven-haired trainer turned his eyes back towards the castle, noticing that the roof had been all but ripped off and a horde of swirling Vibrava were descending from there, their bodies even more illuminated by the green dimension splitting the sky. "None of us are allowed to give up! No matter what happens, this is our world! And until our bones are broken and the breath leaves our bodies, we can't give up!

"So, are you going to let me fight, or are you going to give up?"

* * *

"Slurpuff, use Cotton Spore!" Miette yelled loudly, her voice echoing around the corridor. "Block the corridor, quick. Meowstic, use Psychic to close all the windows tight!"

"That won't keep them out for long," Serena said to her, her three Pokémon drawing close around her. Miette grit her teeth and Serena could tell that the blue-haired Performer knew that she was speaking the truth. Still, they had to try everything they could to stop the rampaging army of Dratini and Gabite that was getting thicker with every single stair they climbed up. They hadn't even reached the main staircase to the third floor of the castle yet.

"We need a way to take a whole bunch out at once," Serena's rival finally said. "Have any ideas?"

"Light the place on fire," Serena joked, hoping to relieve some of the tension from her body. Of course, she had said it jokingly, though now she figured it was probably something that Ash would do were he here.

"That would probably take us both out," Miette pointed out with a frown. Serena shook her head, acknowledging the point that Miette was making.

"Then we find another way…" Serena insisted. A straight line of Dratini were squirming her way, and Serena had a simple idea to try and thin their ranks. "Pancham, line the corridor with Stone Edge, give Sylveon a straight shot, and then use Fairy Wind."

"Cham!" Pancham acknowledged, slamming the ground with a fist. The stones jutted upward from the floor, lining the sides of it, making a very narrow pass for the Dragon types. They started entering between the rocks. Then Sylveon waved its feelers and a powerful glittering dust of Fairy Wind fired through it, blowing all of the Pokémon back out, knocking them to the floor. More were already coming.

"This never ends!" Serena screamed exasperatedly. They were never going to get to Zinnia at this rate, and that would bode ill for everyone. The exasperated exhalation that Miette gave out clearly meant she felt the same. The worst part was that her mind was blank on how to deal with this.

"Serena," Miette finally said calmly after a moment. Serena turned to face her companion and friend, only to feel the girl pressing on her chest towards the banister that led back to the first floor. Serena lost her balance and nearly fell down, only barely managing to catch a hold of the banister.

"What are you-?"

"Get to Zinnia," she said. Serena looked up, swallowing a lump in her throat and she noticed tears in Miette's eyes. "I…I'm not a battler. I couldn't…"

"Neither am I, Miette, so we need to do this together, as a-"

"NO!" Miette screeched. The Dragon Pokémon were approaching swiftly. "Just…let me do this. You're my friend, too, Serena, and the least I can do is give you a chance. No arguments!"

"Miette-" Serena said, a choking sob bubbling up in her throat.

"Slurpuff, surround the corridor with Cotton Spore! Meowstic, use Psychic to get Serena and her Pokémon over to the stairs!" Serena wanted to scream, but her mouth just flapped wordlessly as a blue glow surrounded her body and flung her away from the balcony, along with Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon, all of them being tossed at the foot of the stairs. Serena instantly got to her feet, only for Braixen to step in front of her.

"Brai…" she said sadly. Serena shook her head, still unable to make a sound. In front of her, the Cotton Spore wall was closing off, the dragons and Miette all trapped inside of it.

"Light…it…up…" Miette gasped out as she seemed to get buried by the horde. Serena bit her lip, unable to give the command that needed to be given, and tears fumbled down her cheeks. She looked at Braixen and tremulously nodded, not letting the words come out. Braixen held her wand in front of her…and fired a Flamethrower. The ensuing explosion was so powerful that Serena and her Pokémon were blown up a few steps as the fire scorched the entire hallway, consuming both the Dragon types and Miette, along with her Pokémon.

"MIETTE!" Serena screamed, knowing that her rival and friend wouldn't hear her. Pancham pushed against her chest while Sylveon wrapped her feelers around her arm. Serena wanted to run to her, wanted to see if she was okay, but Braixen was now pushing her up the stairs, averting her gaze from it. She looked into her first Pokémon's eyes and Braixen's gaze was so resolute that, finally, she realized she couldn't despair. Miette had done what needed to be done so that Serena could stop the source of all of this: Zinnia. "Right…thank you, guys."

Offering one last look at the burned out hallway, Serena put her foot back on the steps and began to run up them. With every step, her heart was hammering against her chest, and with every sound of her shoes hitting the stone, her resolve firmed. Zinnia was the cause of all this, and right now, she needed to confront the Draconid that had seemingly defeated Ash. It didn't matter about her strength, but about her conviction to see this done. The air grew brisk and Serena could see the open night sky, her body awash in the green light as she finally broke to that third floor.

The first thing she saw was the large meteorite, looking almost exactly like it did in the square…except for the small black square affixed to it. Next to it was Zinnia and her Salamence, the both of them turning at the sound of Serena reaching the top floor. As her body shifted, Serena could see past the meteorite to a console with a microphone on it, but it was too far for her to make out any better details. The wind rustled through her hair, blowing it back as she stood some distance from the black-haired Draconid.

"I wasn't expecting you," Zinnia said aloud, her eyebrow raised.

"Who were you expecting, then?" Serena snapped, her anger flaring. Because of this girl, Miette had sacrificed herself, the townspeople were wounded, maybe even dying, and Ash… "I would ask you what your plan is, but I think I've figured it out."

"You have?" Zinnia said, a coy smile on her lips. She leaned back against the meteorite, but only touched the barricade around it, while Salamence regarded Serena with caution, as if it was ready to pounce. "Do enlighten me, because I really don't think you could ever understand."

"The meteorite legend of this town. You're linking them to the other dimension so you can access the pocket dimension where Jirachi is. You want a single, unlimited wish, right? Probably something stupid."

Zinnia's eyes grew cold, but she didn't make a move, though her body grew rigid and she stopped leaning back. "You're close, but not quite."

"Fill in the blanks, then," Serena screamed. Her foot moved a little forward, and she could feel her Pokémon tensing at her side. Zinnia sighed, looking down at her feet. When she looked up, Serena noticed tears falling from her eyes.

"I didn't want to do this…but this world left me no choice," Zinnia said, the tears falling into her mouth. Serena hesitated. "My world…it was a cold and desolate place, ravaged by war. That was all we knew. Yet, there was one person who made life  _bearable_ , and then she was taken from me. Aster was taken from me…and we wound up in this world, where our clan had once come from.

"And it was so different. There was no war. No pain. All of that was a thing of the past. Despair was a foreign concept, and to all of you, Aster never existed at all! It crushed me, and the only thing I wanted to do was bring her back. Was that really so wrong? I just wanted to change that one little thing. I tried many approaches, and this was the only one that made sense. I'm not some petty overlord; I just want Jirachi to make that wish. To help make our world a better place again."

Serena wasn't sure how to respond. So many ideas had formed in her head about how this confrontation could go, but this was never one of them. She had never thought Zinnia would be a crying mess, exposing her motives that were so…human. But still…her logic seemed so flawed. "You mean, that's why you're hurting all those people in Ancien City."

"Yes," was the blunt response. "I've planned this for three years, ever since I passed through the dimensional boundary. I purposely chose today, though, when the new moon forced the crack between dimensions open, all so that the least amount of damage needed to be done. You can thank me for that."

"You're the one that broke in here three days ago, right?" Serena asked. The air around them was changing, although the honey-blonde couldn't be sure if it was because the air of battle was upon them or if something strange was going on with the dimensions. There was something strange in the city in the distance, however. There seemed to be large explosions.

"I am. I had to prepare the meteorite to absorb the energy from the constellations," Zinnia explained. "I also placed a bomb on the roof so that when the new moon came out, the dimensions could start linking automatically by receiving its energy as well. Then I just needed to start the ruckus to get Rayquaza here. All that's left is for the meteorites to resonate with the stones inside Rayquaza's body, and once that happens I'll be able to make my wish…my dream."

"Your dream is warped!" Serena snapped angrily. Zinnia blinked, as if she hadn't been expecting such a harsh response. "You talk about wanting to bring your friend back, but you don't care about anybody else's lives. You talk about despair and then you go and cause it. What about every one of us? Don't we have dreams? Don't our lives matter?"

"Don't be naïve," Zinnia said. She was walking again, coming to stand next to Salamence as she patted its side. "I don't care about anybody else's dreams, because if I did, I would never achieve my own. With every dream your heart makes, don't you shatter another's? If you achieved your dream, would you not crush someone else's?"

"That's…that's no reason to give up…" Serena said quietly. Zinnia's words had struck a chord within her, yet at the same time, she knew they were wrong. This was a girl speaking from pain and a place of despair, not someone with hope. Her only hope lay in the destruction of Ancien City and its people. Maybe, though, Zinnia had a point about dreams…but that was no reason for her to do what she was doing, and besides…"Do you really think your friend Aster would want  _this_?"

"Shut up!" Zinnia snapped, her eyes blazing with anger and hatred. "You don't know her like I do. You don't get to talk about her."

"Then you don't get to hurt my friends. Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!" Sylveon pranced forward and quickly blasted the pink dusting of Fairy Wind, although it was more like a gust with the speed and power with which it flew at Salamence. The Dragon Pokémon hunkered down on its legs as the wind blew across it. Despite it being super effective, Salamence weathered it like the attack was nothing.

"Flamethrower," Zinnia said with a flick of her finger that pointed at Serena. The Performer stood her ground, and her Pokémon stood by her. They would take whatever this Draconid would throw at her. They would come out as the victors and show her there was more to life and dreams than despair and pain. The flames gushed out of Salamence's jaw, scorching across the ground as billowing flames. Braixen stepped forward and held her wand aloft, sending her own Flamethrower out. The fires collided and blasted upward like a beacon of flame. "Into Dragon Breath."

"Keep it up, Braixen!" Serena yelled out. Braixen flinched a little, but held steady as the orange and red flames turned to green, smoke curdling at the edges of them. Serena looked down to Pancham who nodded at his trainer just as the Dragon Breath got the better of Braixen and the Fox Pokémon was flung backwards. "Now, use Stone Edge as a shield around us!"

"Pancham!" the Playful Pokémon cried out and he flipped forward, and continued to do so as a line of stones were erected in front of Serena and her team. She knew it wouldn't do much against Zinnia's powerful Salamence, but it would clearly buy them some time.

"Go, Sylveon. It's your time to shine!" Sylveon mewled loudly and then leapt on top of the stones. Serena couldn't see Salamence, but she could imagine its eyes were following Sylveon diligently. That was exactly what Serena wanted; keep Salamence distracted, not knowing where exactly Sylveon was going to strike from as she danced across the stones. Serena wouldn't even give the command aloud. Sylveon looked back occasionally, and after just a few seconds of dancing, Serena nodded. Sylveon stopped for just a few seconds and then fired off another wave of pink wind. This time, Salamence appeared to recoil painfully.

"Use Dragon Claw," Zinnia said calmly. Serena still couldn't see Salamence charging towards them, though she knew Sylveon was safe from the Dragon type attack. The same couldn't be said for Pancham. Green claws suddenly impaled the stones and broke them into pieces of rubble that scattered across the already stone-littered floor. Then Salamence reached Pancham and ran across it with the green glow of Dragon Claw. Pancham flew backwards.

"Braixen, blow it back with Fire Blast!" Serena ordered, whipping around to see Braixen rising shakily to her feet, her wand held in front of her like a blade. Serena whirled aside as the five pronged wheel of fire blasted forward, slamming into Salamence and pushing it across the wide expanse of the third floor. Sylveon was already on the move again, dancing around Salamence's form until she leapt on its back. "Use Double Team and combine it with Fairy Wind!"

"Veon!" Sylveon cried out and her body glowed. Then a copy of her appeared above her, before another one and then another one, until Salamence was surrounded by a ring of Sylveon's. Every Sylveon then cried as it buffeted Salamence with a pink Fairy Wind that sent it reeling backwards. Serena looked over and got a glimpse of Zinnia's face. It was emotionless, though she turned her head to look at Serena before bending down and touching the anklet she was wearing.

Bright light filled the upper floor and dread flooded into Serena's veins. Salamence's body was glowing brightly and Serena knew that it was Mega Evolving. When the light receded, it looked just the same as it had before it had obliterated Ash. It was also drawing level with Serena and her Pokémon, an orb of energy coalescing within its open mouth before firing a Hyper Beam. Serena planted her feet on the ground, hoping to hold fast against the blow. It did little good. The Hyper Beam struck her and she screamed loudly, every receptor of pain on her body lighting up. She flew back, her knees hitting the floor and scraping against it until she fell on her butt. The attack finally ended and Serena was still whimpering a little. It made sense when her knee was scraped and bleeding profusely, a constant stinging sensation emanating from it.

"I want to ask you something," Zinnia said, walking forward a little as Salamence hung in midair. She stopped short and clasped her arm. Serena couldn't understand why, until she saw small particles floating up from where the anklet was attached to Zinnia's leg, just like they had from Edwin earlier. The question Zinnia asked was far more important, however. "You're in love with Ash Ketchum, aren't you?" Serena didn't say anything to her, even if she knew the answer was an unequivocal yes. "How would you feel if he died in your arms? What would you do if you knew you'd never see him again?"

"I'd…" Serena said. The pain in her knee was too great, causing her eyes to tear up involuntarily. "It would hurt…knowing that I couldn't see him again…but Ash taught me to never give up. It would take time, and it would hurt me a lot, but I'd move on eventually. I'd get up again, I'd wipe my tears and start moving forward again."

Zinnia stared down at her before her lips turned into a snarl. "Then our views are irreconcilable. To me, the world is worth nothing if Aster isn't in it."

"You hate the world that much?" Serena gasped out, her hand now finding its way to her knees. Her vision flitted back and forth, noticing that all of her Pokémon were struggling, and failing, to stand.

"The world is a cesspool of selfish thought," Zinnia said, obviously not seeing the irony in her words. "Everyone just thinks of themselves. Honestly, sometimes I really do think it's not worth saving, not the way Aster did. And honestly, both my world and yours can burn if Aster is back in one of them!"

"So that's what it is…" Serena said, closing her eyes. Zinnia really was lost…so lost in her own pain that she could no longer see beauty. Maybe it was something beyond just losing a friend; maybe it was carrying that burden alone, or something else that Serena couldn't see. The one thing she could see, that was so evident in her voice, was how pained she was. "You've given up on this world…But I haven't! This world is still alive, and there are still people worth living for! So, I don't care if you've given up on this world. Even if it is what you say it is, this is our world! Until our bones are broken and the breath leaves our bodies, I'm not giving up on it!"

"Then you can burn with it! Salamence, Hyper Beam!"

"Counter it!" Serena screamed, her throat ripping from how high her voice went. Braixen, Sylveon, and Pancham stood, each of them firing off their most powerful projectile attacks at the beam now aimed at them. The two groups of attacks collided, pushing against one another as a nexus of energy formed between them. Serena knew it wouldn't last for long; her Pokémon were too weak from all their battles today. Soon after, the attacks weakened before ceasing entirely and Serena crawled across to them, taking them into a hug. "It's okay…we're not giving in. I believe in you, and love you all!"

Her Pokémon returned the hug as the Hyper Beam barreled down on them. Serena couldn't stand, so instead, she turned and faced her fate of the great dark beam about to consume her. She wouldn't run. She'd face Zinnia with all the conviction she could muster.

Then a bolt of lightning struck. It seared through the Hyper Beam while a great ball of flame roared against Salamence's side, throwing the Dragon Pokémon to the side and sending the Hyper Beam just a foot past her and her Pokémon. An explosion ripped out behind her, blowing a hole in the wall to the outside and Serena had to cover her eyes so no debris would get in them. When the explosion faded, Serena looked up.

Ash was standing there, his Pokémon at his side. He wasn't wearing his hat and he looked ready to fall over, but the look of determination on his face was heartening. All of his Pokémon were wearing the same stern expression, even the young Noibat. Serena looked over to Zinnia, whose eyes were wide, but a smile was on her lips. Ash looked back at Serena for just a moment before taking a step forward and shouting.

"Don't you touch her!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Again, another LONG chapter! But a lot happened, didn't it? Now Zinnia's plan is clear, and for those of you that didn't catch it as it was delivered in piecemeal: attach a linking device to the meteorite in the castle, blow open the castle roof to allow the meteorite to connect with the New Moon and the Draco constellation, open the link between dimensions, summon Rayquaza using destruction (lessened thanks to the new moon), power the pocket dimension with the meteorites in Rayquaza's body, make a wish with Jirachi to bring Aster back. Honestly, I'd like to say that while Zinnia has adaptational villainy, she also, I feel, is remarkably human. I hope you enjoyed her confrontation with Serena, as well as the events going on in town. What will happen with both sides of the battle? Will Ash defeat Zinnia in Round Three? Find out next time as the conflict comes to its close.
> 
> TSo, until next time please do Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	20. A Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to quickly clear up an unfortunate misconception I've created: Noibat will NOT evolve. I know he evolves in canon, but as this story is set between XYZ15 and XYZ16, and Noibat doesn't evolve until XYZ17…yeah. More or less, while this is slightly AU, it is still an insert story. That said, join me for Chapter 20!

Chapter 20

A Future

Serena felt tears on her eyelashes. He was here; he was standing again! For a brief second, she wanted to scream for joy and hug him, but with the way Zinnia's lips were turned up into a smirk, she knew that would be an extremely foolish thing to do in the moment. Still, Ash took the moment to turn his head back and look at her. For a very brief second, his eyes were hardened from the battles he had likely been fighting, but they softened upon seeing her there. His eyes seemed to rest on her knee.

"What happened? You're not hurt too badly, are you?" he asked. His Pokémon closed ranks in front of him, like they were daring Zinnia to make a move. She didn't, but she didn't drop the smile, either. Serena shook her head.

"Just a scraped knee. What about Miette? Did you see her? She was-"

"She's fine, Serena," Ash answered kneeling down gently at her side. She tried to get up, but a shock of pain jolted in to her knee and she fell back on her butt. Ash frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief. More than that…it was  _the_  handkerchief. He had actually kept it that close to him all this time? Not that it mattered right then and there. As he tied it around her bloody knee, he answered her inquiry. "Her Meowstic helped to shield her from most of the blast, though she and her Pokémon are passed out. I moved them out of the way before I got here."

"Oh…I'm so glad…I thought she might've…" Serena really couldn't voice the thoughts, each of them too horrible to even visualize within her brain. Ash nodded, finishing with his tying of the handkerchief tightly around her knee. It was already soaking through a little, and she felt it wasn't best to stand up quite yet. Ash offered her one last smile as he stood and faced Zinnia.

"You can leave Zinnia to me," Ash said confidently, walking over to stand beside his Pokémon. Serena blinked, watching his back as he stood there, rigid and ready for battle.

"I'll admit it," Zinnia said cheerily, "I'm glad you survived. Now, we get to face off again. Salamence, Flamethrower!"

Salamence let off a mighty roar and it swooped downward, its mouth opening wide to gush its flame along the floor. Ash stood his ground as Salamence drew closer and his Pokémon looked back at him. He nodded, and that looked like he was giving a command. Without any more words, Pikachu rolled along the ground, avoiding the scorching attack that was razing it, almost like they had planned it out beforehand. When Pikachu got back onto his tiny paws, he dashed forward with a Quick Attack. Meanwhile, Talonflame and Noibat had taken to the skies, their bodies illuminated by the green glow of the meteorite. Likewise, Hawlucha was climbing up whatever walls were left while Ash and Greninja ran at Zinnia together.

"Use Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded and Greninja broke away. The Ninja Pokémon summoned the blades of water in his hands before slapping them together and firing them at Salamence's mouth. They made impact with Salamence's jaw and managed to extinguish the flame while driving the Dragon Pokémon's head upwards. "You're not getting away with this, Zinnia. I won't let you!"

"Then come and get me!" Zinnia cackled out as Ash finally reached her. He punched towards her head but he missed, just as he had the last time they'd fought. Then she repeated her same move and locked his arm behind him. "I told you: we're fighting a war. Do you really think some half-hearted punches will manage to hit me?"

"I'm not the one doing the punching," Ash breathed out loudly. Zinnia cocked her head as Pikachu suddenly rammed into her side with his Quick Attack. She gagged loudly and let go of Ash as Greninja appeared from behind Salamence. Serena hadn't even seen him disappear, but there he was, the white blade of Cut in his hand as he slashed across Zinnia. The attack hadn't hurt the girl much, though Serena did see more of those green particles fly up as she recoiled.

"Get them with Dragon Claw!" Zinnia screamed, the attacks having obviously made her angry.

"Counter it with Steel Wing!" Ash ordered loudly. Talonflame swooped down from the sky, his wing glowing brightly as Salamence soared in towards the two humans. Salamence's back claw glowed green now as it raced forward, only for Talonflame to zigzag a bit and slam into the attack. Green sparks flew off, but Talonflame didn't back down. Then Hawlucha came spinning downward, nailing Salamence on its back with a Flying Press. The green claw faded and allowed Talonflame to slam into its chest with Steel Wing. Hawlucha flipped off and landed on the ground in a combat roll before springing back into a High Jump Kick that made a painful, crunching contact with Salamence's jaw.

Serena was positively dazzled by the coordination in front of her. She had seen Ash battle numerous times on their journey, and he'd displayed some truly impressive skills this last week alone…but in that moment, Ash had become more than a trainer. He was like a Pokémon General, directing his friends to fight with everything they had on instinct and the strength of their bonds alone. He didn't even have to give orders, but when he did, they executed them quickly and without any fuss. Noibat zipped down from the sky and opened his mouth, sending those Supersonic waves at Salamence. The Dragon Pokémon crunched in on itself, obviously not liking the noise that Noibat was making.

"Get it with Dragon Breath!" Zinnia called out. Salamence appeared to tremor under the waves but it still managed to roar loudly and spill the green torrent of flame from its maw. Ash whipped back, his pokeball in his hand.

"Noibat, return!" he called, sending the little one into its pokeball before it could get hurt. "You did a great job. Talonflame, now!"

"Talon!" Talonflame screeched as it sailed downward from its place in the sky. His body was alight with flame, making him easy to spot before he slammed into the floating Salamence's back, causing its whole body to undulate unnaturally. Then Serena watched as Greninja slid underneath the writhing Salamence and pierced upward with an Aerial Ace. Talonflame moved out of the way as Salamence was thrown into the sky, twisting and tumbling through the air.

"Hyper Beam," Zinnia called out. Salamence threw one side of its flexible wings downward to halt its spinning and then angled itself down. The black beam of Hyper Beam shot out.

"Counter it with Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled. Greninja clasped his hands together, calling forth a giant shuriken that he then held out like a shield. The Hyper Beam struck against the water, but managed to not disperse it. Serena and all her Pokémon looked at Greninja struggling, though, Pancham and Braixen calling out to him. Greninja's leg began to fall as Talonflame once more came swooping in. Its body was blazing a bright blue with crackling energy around its body as it slammed into Salamence, halting the Hyper Beam. Salamence countered by whipping one of its wings down and smacking Talonflame to the floor while it was suffering from recoil damage. Greninja leapt forward and caught Talonflame to take him out of harm's way. Then, Salamence's whole body was set alight in flames.

"Great work, you guys! I know we can take it down now!" Ash complimented his Pokémon. Serena wasn't quite as confident as him, given how tired he looked and that his Pokémon seemed to be sagging just a little. Sure, they had managed to put up a very good fight against Mega Salamence, and they had even managed to burn it…but the battle was clearly far from over.

A sudden rumble shook the castle, and Serena was grateful that she was on the floor as it was shaking her entire body. Zinnia pitched to the side, touching against the meteorite. The Draconid girl recoiled from it as though it were hurting her. Ash took that moment to move in and actually punch her across the face. It had been the only time Serena had ever seen him do something so overtly violent…yet, it made sense.

"Stop this right now!" he screamed. Zinnia recovered from the blow and kicked out. Pikachu leapt up and took the kick himself, being driven into Ash's chest as the two of them went flying back. "Do you even realize how many people and Pokémon you're hurting?"

"Like I told her: I don't care."

"That's a lie!" Ash yelled. Serena was surprised by the fervor with which he was yelling this. It was simply so unlike him to be so angry; even after all the times that Team Rocket had attacked them, he had always been able to forgive them and treat them somewhat cordially. "Aren't your friends in the town? Because it sounds like you don't even care if they get hurt."

"My 'friends' can take care of themselves," Zinnia assured him. "They're battle-hardened warriors all. They're nothing like your friends. Your friends are probably running scared just because Rayquaza appeared."

"Rayquaza…huh?" Ash said. He and his Pokémon weren't making any more moves and for a moment, Serena thought that maybe the mention of Rayquaza was making Ash give up, as unlikely as it was. That is, until she saw him scratching the side of his head like he was trying to figure something important out. "Hey…Serena, you're good with remembering things. Isn't there some legend about Rayquaza and these meteorites in this town?"

"Yeah…there is…" Serena replied, not exactly sure where Ash was going with this. He turned his head a little to look directly at the meteorite, a smirk on his face. Things suddenly clicked into place for Serena. "The dimensions and Rayquaza are linked to the meteorites…so…even if there's no moon, and the Draco constellation is still shining-"

"It won't matter if we destroy that meteorite!" Ash proclaimed triumphantly. Zinnia's face drew into one of utter shock, and her eyes widened in fear. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried out happily, sending a raging volt of thunder at the nearby hunk of rock. Zinnia ran forward and she dove in front of the meteorite, allowing herself to be hit by it instead. The black-haired Draconid grit her teeth as she looked at Salamence. The Dragon Pokémon rushed at Ash and Pikachu, only for Hawlucha and Greninja to jump in front and try to hold it back.

"Nice try, Ash Ketchum," Zinnia said with a ragged breath, "but there's no way you're destroying this meteorite until Jirachi appears. After that, you can do whatever you want. Until then, if you want to get to it, you have to go through me."

"Then we'll go through you!" Ash countered. Pikachu shook his own fist in agreement, and all of his Pokémon seemed to share the same conviction. "And if we can't destroy this one, then I'll leave the others to destroy the one in town."

"Yeah? How are you gonna do that?" Zinnia taunted. She had good reason to taunt, Serena thought. If Rayquaza was blasting through the town, it'd be hard enough to keep moving, much less destroy such a huge object in the square. Even if they could, how would they even know to do so? Not everyone was as privy to the town's legends, and they may have been defeated and…and…Serena's mind whirled with all the "what ifs" of what could go wrong in this situation. Her fists balled her dress up as she wracked her brain for some way around this situation.

Then she saw the console, and the microphone. Maybe there was a way to get a message out, after all.

"Ash! The PA system!" she yelled to him. Ash whipped around and saw what Serena was pointing to. He grinned widely.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack and Thunderbolt! Turn that system on!"

"Pika Pikachu pika!" Pikachu cried as he dashed forward. Zinnia whipped around, like she was trying to follow the mouse's movements until he had jumped onto the console and let loose a burst of electricity that seemed to start everything working again. The console lit up, and Pikachu's tail flicked the biggest switch on the dashboard. Ash sucked in a breath, and then he yelled.

"Do all of you hear me?"

* * *

"Chespin ches pin pin!"

"Ray! Luxray!"

"Just hurry up and do it! Please, Luxray!" That was Bonnie's voice; Clemont was certain of it. She sounded like she was crying, though he couldn't understand why. A sudden shock passed through his system and jolted him awake, his eyes popping open, though all he saw was the blur of lemon yellow that was Bonnie's hair. "You can't fall asleep, Clemont!"

"How…how long was I out?" Clemont asked. His chest was in pain, though it seemed to have diminished from when he last remembered feeling it.

"Not long, but Brock said I can't let you fall asleep," Bonnie responded sternly. For a moment it was like their roles were reversed: she was older and he was younger. Clemont chuckled, but the pain hurt from it and he grasped at his chest. Now he remembered what had happened, and he used every effort that he could to sit up. Next to him, Luxray was keeping a vigilant watch over him while Chespin snuggled happily into him, obviously glad that his trainer was awake.

"What's going on with the battle?" Clemont asked his sister. She didn't answer right away, but she turned her head to the immediate exterior of the maintenance building. As his head turned to look at it, Clemont noticed that Aston was at the controls, frowning at a specific light blinking on the console. Squishy appeared to be up there, too, looking at the sky while Dedenne nudged it. The inventor's gaze moved on to the pitched battle against Alice the Draconid.

"Croagunk, slam it with Brick Break!" Brock was yelling out. Clemont blinked and watched as Croagunk came flying down from a piece of rubble to strike Dragonair's head with a glowing fist.

"Extreme Speed," Alice sang out, as if this battle was nothing but fun and games to her. A clear white aura surrounded Dragonair's form and the Pokémon shot off, nailing Croagunk and slapping it backwards into a wall. Blaziken also took the hit from Dragonair's tail. Bonnie sighed from next to him.

"It's been going this way a while…" Bonnie said sadly. "Team Rocket's been trying to hit it from the roof, but the Dragonair is too fast."

"What about Gary?" Clemont gasped out. That pain in his ribs was really smarting; hopefully, Brock could finish the battle up soon. He certainly seemed to be observing Dragonair's movements closely enough.

"No one knows…Ever since he made that steam, no one's seen him," Bonnie said, her voice straining into its higher regions. Clemont shifted a little and brought his sister into a hug, trying to assure her that everything would be okay, even if his chest still hurt immensely.

"Use Dragon Rush!" Alice commanded, still in that annoying singsong voice while she twirled around. Dragonair's body rose into the air and that all-too-familiar glow surrounded its body. Clemont's chest hurt from the very sight of it and its menacing draconic form. Dragonair lunged for Croagunk once more, but May was yelling something. Clemont hardly heard it, the blood pumping into his ears as his wound sent pain coursing through his body. His eyes squeezed shut to block the pain out, and when he opened them again, Blaziken had intercepted the attack meant for Croagunk, its blazing foot barely holding the Dragon Pokémon back.

"Hit it back with Sky Uppercut!" May yelled quickly. Blaziken's right arm came sailing from behind its body to strike Dragonair's jaw. It went sailing back, its tail flopping into the air.

"Stupid girl…use Aqua Tail," Alice said, the singsong gone now. As Dragonair's tail flopped upward, it was surrounded by water and suddenly came soaring back down. The attack struck right up against Blaziken's chest. The Blaze Pokémon fell over its feet and to the ground from the forceful attack. Dragonair was keeping its advantage by walloping Blaziken with continuous Aqua Tails.

"Gourgeist, knock that stupid thing away with Seed Bomb!" Jessie yelled, leaping down from the roof with the rest of her team. Of course, their backs were to Clemont, but he could clearly see Gourgeist firing the barrage of seeds at Dragonair. The elegant dragon type was struck on its tail, causing its head to move in another direction so that it wasn't hurt. Clemont tried turning his head despite the pain and he saw Brock's foot move slightly. Something was different in his stance now.

"Croagunk, use Poison Sting at its tail!" he ordered. Croagunk stood shakily from where he'd been slammed against the wall, his sacs protruding and shrinking as he opened his mouth. The purple stingers flew out, aiming right for Dragonair's tail. They struck dead center and Dragonair's body slithered away…in the opposite direction. Brock appeared to be smirking now, at least that's what Clemont saw from his side profile.

"Strategy time, quick!" Brock called every one of them over. Team Rocket didn't look the happiest to be taking an order from a "twerp" but they nevertheless huddled up with Brock. Clemont shifted on the ground, and though Bonnie tried to hold him back, he managed to get close enough to hear what was being said. "We funnel it as it uses an attack. Dragonair's body is constantly moving, but if we hit its head at the right time, or its tail, we can keep it on a path, and that's where Wobbuffet comes in."

"Wobba?"

"Just do what he says, Wobbuffet!" Jessie said to her Pokémon. Wobbuffet saluted with a cry of his name.

"Our future's on the line, after all. Let's do this!" James assured them. The four trainers nodded and leapt away before Alice and her feral Dragonair could get the chance to strike again. Clemont had a feeling that this battle was drawing to its end.

"Dragon Rush. End this battle!" Dragonair reared upwards again, the blue draconic aura flaring up once more and it rushed at the nearest Pokémon it could reach, which happened to be Blaziken.

"Wait for it…" May said, holding a fist close to her chest. "Hold on…" Dragonair was practically upon them, its glinting and currently blue eyes flashing with malice. "Blaze Kick it in the face!"

"Blaze!" Blaziken roared out, its powerful foot wreathed in flame, striking out with even more speed than it had used in the tournament. The fire hit Dragonair in the face and sent it hurtling off towards Croagunk instinctively, who was standing a little down the way. That's when Clemont noticed it, how every single one of the trainers' Pokémon were in a line on opposite sides…almost like some kind of pinball machine.

"Brick Break!" Croagunk readied his own attack, and once Dragonair's face came close, he then slammed his fist into it, driving the head off toward Inkay. The blue glow spluttered and flickered away. Judging from Alice's gasp, this was an unexpected and unwelcome development.

"If Dragon Rush won't work, use Extreme Speed!" Alice screeched, her command clearly desperate. The clear aura surrounded Dragonair and it picked up speed…though it wasn't moving nearly as fast as it had during its previous usage.

"Okay, Inkay! Use Psybeam!" James commanded. Inkay flipped upside down and fired a Psybeam slightly ahead of where Dragonair currently was. It turned out to be a smart move, because Dragonair arrived at that spot in the same moment that Psybeam did. Once more, the Dragon Pokémon was twisting and turning away towards Meowth. It was almost like it couldn't help it, and with Croagunk and Blaziken blocking off any potential for escape, Dragonair didn't have a choice.

"Now it's my turn!" Meowth yelled with glee. "Time for da Fury Swipes!" Dragonair was slowing, and Clemont supposed that was the reason that Meowth was able to make an extremely successful Fury Swipe at Dragonair's face that sent it hurtling at Gourgeist. Gourgeist then responded with a Dark Pulse that sent it heading straight back for Wobbuffet who was saluting and glowing at the same time as Dragonair finally made impact with it. There was brief moment where nothing happened…and then the light burst straight out from Wobbuffet's body. Every other Pokémon stepped out of the way and Dragonair flew backward, consumed by the light. Alice turned out to be in the line of fire and Dragonair slammed into her along with the Counter. When it receded, both trainer and Pokémon were out cold next to Edwin.

"All right!"

"Way to go, Jess!" James cheered. Brock was already walking away from the site of battle and over to Clemont. It appeared he had already realized that the inventor was up, because he expressed no surprise. He just dug into a bag that he had used earlier and pulled out tape and gauze, along with some antiseptic.

"It's going to sting, Clemont, so…grit your teeth," Brock said, as if it was the best advice he could give. Then he tipped the bottle of antiseptic over Clemont's wound. The blond screamed, hating the stinging that was resulting from it, even if he knew how important it was. Bonnie gripped his hand tightly until the stinging stopped and Brock went to work placing the gauze and taping it down. "It's just a temporary measure, so it'll have to be looked at by a better doctor after this is over. I won't ask you to abstain from the battle, though. You'd probably disobey me anyway."

"Thanks," Clemont gasped out. He tried to stand, and while it was difficult, he had managed to do so with Luxray's help. Feeling a little better, though far from okay, Clemont hobbled over to the console and saw the strange yellow, blinking light on it. Before he could ask what it meant, an explosion sounded out from the haze of steam on the other side of the street where Gary was battling it out with Travis.

Within the steam there were sparks of electricity floating around, obviously having interacted with some loose particles of Hydrogen to cause such an explosion. Blastoise was flying backward, part of its shell darkened from the explosion and concurrent Thunderbolt. On Gary's orders (or so Clemont guessed because Gary's voice was lost in the sound of the explosion), Blastoise fired a Hydro Pump out to let it steady itself back on its feet. That stability didn't last long since a turquoise orb of Focus Blast pounded through the steam and into Blastoise's chest. The Shellfish Pokémon dropped to a technical knee. The sound of the explosion had died away and Gary and Travis could be heard again.

"Keep trying to hit it with Flamethrower," Travis yelled gleefully. "Don't stop! It doesn't matter if you hit the ground, either, because it will just provide more cover."

"You can take it Blastoise. We've practiced this," Gary said, still not losing his cool despite Blastoise's damage. Blastoise appeared to nod, and Clemont found his vision rooted on the battle unfolding instead of what he probably should have been doing. He couldn't multitask with all his pain, anyway. Magmortar's shots of flame continued to cause the steam to roil up, once more obscuring the field from view, though Clemont could still discern the sight of Gary's spiky hair. There appeared to be movement within the steam cloud, but it was so difficult to tell. Travis seemed to think that movement was his chance to take Blastoise out once and for all.

"Use a concentrated Thunderbolt on that stupid turtle!" Travis yelled. Magmortar couldn't be seen, but Clemont could hear the loud cocking of the cannon. Another blast of Hyper Beam from Rayquaza shuddered through the city as Magmortar fired the yellow bolt of lightning. It didn't explode the steam cloud like last time, but it did rip straight through and slam into a wall on the other side. "Wha…? We nailed you."

"You're an idiot," Gary said, though it wasn't like his tone was taunting. "You seem to think winning is everything. That kind of mentality is the reason you've lost this fight. Blastoise, use Bite!"

The steam was finally starting to dissipate and Clemont got a look at what had been going on inside. Blastoise had closed the distance thanks to the cover and chomped down on Magmortar's body. Even though Flame Body appeared to be activating on Blastoise, the Water type didn't let go. Travis' mouth was hanging open, like he didn't understand what was happening, or how it had gotten this way. Blastoise's own cannons cocked downward to aim at Magmortar's face. Gary walked forward a little, past the grappling Pokémon and over to Travis. Then he punched him in the face and knocked him to the ground.

"Losing is an important part of winning," Gary told him with a sneer. "You still haven't learned that. I lost to Ash when he used that kind of strategy in the Silver Conference. Did you really think I wouldn't learn from that mistake? If I hadn't lost, I would never have been able to counter it. You keep thinking that winning is all that matters, and you're going to throw your own potential away. Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!"

"Toise!" Blastoise acknowledged. Two globes of water formed at the end of his cannons and they hung there for a moment before blasting out. The force of the water was so strong that even Blastoise was pushed back as Magmortar was knocked out, landing in a heap upon Travis. A large plume of flame exploded outward from where they landed and some chunks of rubble scattered around them from the nearby building. The flaming-haired trainer appeared to be unable to make a move while Gary turned back towards Clemont with a smirk.

"Watch over him, Blastoise. We can't have him making a bigger mess of things," Gary spat after tossing his Pokémon a berry. Blastoise nodded and shuffled forward, aiming his cannons at the passed out pair while he chewed on it. They didn't seem like they'd move any time soon, but Clemont was glad the Pokémon researcher was taking precautions. "Taken care of. What's up with you?"

"Nice work, Gary," Brock said. That drew Clemont's attention back to the matter at hand and he turned back to the console. Aston was still frowning at it.

"What's wrong?" the blond inventor asked the mayor.

"This switch connects to Ancien Castle…" Aston murmured out. "You have friends there, right? I just can't seem to connect it right, because it's blinking yellow when it should blink green."

"Ooh! I see the problem!" Bonnie finally chirped out. She bent down and finally popped over to the control panel a few moments later holding a frayed wire. "This wire's broken. We can fix it, right?"

"Yeah…" Clemont breathed. His chest was still smarting, but Brock's first aid was helpful enough for his engineer's brain to start working. "Bonnie, have Dedenne send a charge through the cable while I patch it up. That should get Ancien Castle up and running again so that we can let Serena know about their plan."

"You heard big brother, Dedenne!" Bonnie said with a triumphant tossing of her arms in the air.

"Ne ne!" Dedenne concurred and he ran over to the cable while Bonnie wrapped it around his tail. The Antenna Pokémon then sent a spark through its whiskers and into its tail. The light turned to green and Clemont nodded, making his way over to connect the wires together permanently. The light stayed green. Clemont was about to push a button to connect to Ancien Castle when a loud voice suddenly blared from the speakers in town.

"Do all of you hear me?"

"That's Ash!" May exclaimed, and she fell to her knees in what appeared to be a mixture of exhaustion and relief. Clemont's own face brightened up with a smile, though using those muscles somehow strained at his wound.

"I know what Zinnia's trying to do!" Ash yelled over the PA, and Clemont raised an eyebrow. Had he figured it out? Was there no longer a need to tell him and Serena? "She wants to bring back her future, the one she lost when her friend died! But if she does that, then all of our futures and our dreams will die with it, along with everyone in this city! We can't let that happen!"

"No, duh…" Gary scoffed out, but the look on his face was pleased.

"So, there's only one thing to do: destroy the meteorites! If even one of them is destroyed, the dimension will go with it and Rayquaza will go away as well, because there will be no more need to fight."

"That's a tall order," Brock expressed. Despite being all the way in the castle, it almost seemed like Ash had read Brock's mind perfectly.

"I know it sounds tough, but you're not alone!" Ash continued. "We're all in this together, tied by a common bond: our love for people and Pokémon together! We can still save this city, and the only way is by destroying the meteorites! Join hands and move forward as one! Because every one of us is moving forward with our dreams! We're all moving toward the future!"

"Yeah!" Bonnie yelled, jumping up at Ash's triumphant proclamation. In the distance, which Clemont guessed was the castle, there was a loud explosion. It was clear that Ash, and likely Serena, were getting into the battle in a big way. There was no way he'd be sitting on the sidelines, no matter how much his chest hurt. He stretched across the console, and flicked a switch to once more broadcast himself.

"You guys heard Ash, right? Everyone, get to the Square! We'll take that meteorite down together!" Clemont said, his voice echoing all around him. Taking a deep breath in, Clemont nodded satisfactorily. Ash had inspired him, just as always. The black-haired trainer must have been ready to drop, yet he still sounded so fired up to be facing Zinnia. If anyone's convictions could defeat the lead Draconid, it was certainly Ash, and with Serena at his side, Clemont knew he'd be unstoppable. All that was left was for him to do his part.

 _Ash…you've let me tag along on your journey this entire time…It's time for me to pay you back, by taking your words to heart. We'll definitely destroy this meteorite, together!_  Clemont thought to himself emphatically. He wasn't the only one roused to action by Ash's triumphant words. All around him, the other trainers, his new friends, and Team Rocket were all looking at each other with determination. Aston sighed, but he also seemed to nod, resigned to the fact that a city monument and heirloom would have to be destroyed.

"Let's do it," he confirmed, passing his blessing along to them. Clemont turned, and his chest twanged, preventing him from walking well. Not that he knew he could ever run, but he soon felt himself being supported by May, who offered him a wink of encouragement.

"Like he said, we're moving towards the future together. So, let's take those steps together," May told him, hoisting him up a little more as they started to leave the maintenance building. Luxray padded alongside him, with Chespin riding on the electric type's back. Even Bonnie joined the procession to take his hand.

The square wasn't far away, and it was easy to find because of the glowing chunk of rock sitting in the center of it. The sounds of battle around the city seemed to have lessened, like less and less dragon Pokémon were attacking. It was very possible that with the Draconids being taken out, there was less power, or whatever they were using to control them, being exuded. That was a good thing. All they had to do now was get rid of Rayquaza.

"May, you're all right!"

"Dawn, you too! I thought you were at the castle!" May exclaimed as their group caught sight of the blue-haired Coordinator. She wasn't alone. Aria and Sawyer had come with her…and to everyone's surprise, so had Seamus. Their former blond haired rival was touching the meteorite with a scowl, as if trying to figure out just what it was made of.

"This thing…I don't think it's rock. It might not be that easy to destroy, you know?" Seamus pointed out. He was acting so different from the way he had in the arena that it was just a little unsettling. Brock was the first one to take it so easily in stride while May let Clemont stand on his feet.

"Are Ash and Serena all right then?" Clemont asked of Sawyer and Aria. Sawyer looked a little concerned, and Aria looked no better, but she answered him.

"They're fighting," Aria said simply. That summed it up; that was the only thing they could do now. Up above, Clemont could see the dimension opening wide, and closer to the castle he could see what looked like a small tear in that dimension. Rayquaza blasted overhead, its body glowing and looking even more different than it had when it arrived. At this point, Rayquaza was starting to look almost normal, like the meteorites in its body were being filtered out to create the pocket dimension. Their time was almost up.

"We're here!" boomed the voice of Rocky as he and the rest of Team Brutal slid into the area. They weren't alone. All of the other teams were arriving from different streets at the same time. They were looking haggard and weak, but Ash's words appeared to have fortified them for one last brawl. Rayquaza's roar sounded out through the now mostly empty city as it sent another Hyper Beam racing along. The Ancien Grand Hotel screeched as it took the brunt of the attack.

"How are the citizens? Did they all get out?" Brock asked, all business in the extremely tense moment.

"As many as we could," Shauna answered, resting her hands on her knees a little. "There might be some stragglers, but we did what we could. The dragons don't seem to be attacking much anymore."

"Probably because we took most of them out! We took out Edwin and Alice!" May said proudly.

"Don't forget that we helped, twerpette number two!" Jessie said. May tossed her an incredulous look, but the burning glares that the two exchanged went largely ignored. Dawn shook her head and stepped forward towards the meteorite.

"Ash helped us beat Jael and Kael, so that would just leave Zinnia…" she mused, tapping her chin in thought. "Ash can take care of her."

"We just need to destroy this meteorite," Gary finished. "Everyone, let's hit it at the same point at the same time. We'll need everyone's Pokémon to succeed."

"Right!" It wasn't that hard to call everyone's Pokémon to the front, each of them arranged in a line facing towards a point in the meteorite that Gary indicated. They waited just a moment, feeling the anticipation, and then they fired their most powerful attacks such as Hydro Pump, or a Thunder or Fire Blast. An explosion of dust resulted from the colorful burst of energy that struck against the meteorite. Clemont even had to cover his eyes until the dust receded.

"Nothing…" Gary spat. His observation was more than correct; their combined attacks left not even a scratch on the meteorite's surface. Clemont furrowed his brow in thought. "Let's hit it again and don't stop hitting it until that thing is rubble!"

"Alakazam, use Shock Wave!" Seamus yelled, starting off the next volley of attacks. He wasn't alone in commanding his Pokémon, though Clemont wasn't sure it would be good enough. Luxray and Chespin were firing their own Swift and Pin Missile attacks at the same spot, but they may as well have been licking it for all the good it was doing. Another roar from Rayquaza sounded as it passed overhead and Clemont watched it. The Sky High Pokémon hadn't stopped once in its destructive rampage, and many buildings were falling apart.

A light bulb clicked in Clemont's head.

"Stop, guys! You aren't doing anything!" he yelled out, causing every trainer to turn to him. "We need a lot more force to hit it from straight above."

"We're throwing everything we have at this!" Bethany yelled in exasperation. Clemont shook his head.

"There's one Pokémon out here that can do our job for us."

"What are you talking about, Clemont?" Bonnie asked. She looked just a little skeptical. Clemont laughed a little to ease some of the tension he was feeling and he pushed his glasses up.

"I'm going to need some parts and Conway and Kenneth's help to build a new invention quickly!" Clemont declared. "I'll call it…the Aggravated Rayquaza Attractor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The final conflict is heating up! With Ash having inspired all the trainers to do what needs to be done, what will happen? Will Ash and Serena defeat Zinnia? Well, I really don't have much to say without giving stuff away. Needless to say, we're almost at the end of the conflict.
> 
> In this final stretch, your great words of encouragement keep me moving forward. So, until the next chapter, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	21. A Flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're coming very close here. Also, for those of you who haven't: watch XYZ 22 raw. Seriously. Just…do it. But first read Chapter 21!

Chapter 21

A Flower

"We're all moving towards the future!" Ash yelled, and though he meant for his words to be heard all across Ancien City, they were directed at Zinnia. The Draconid scowled, clearly not liking where this was all going. Serena's body tensed, along with her Pokémon. These two were gearing up for some kind of final battle now. No one made a noise, however, even if Pikachu scampered back from the PA console, his tail flicking the switch off again, to rejoin Ash at his side.

"The future? Dreams?" Zinnia scoffed out finally, after a few tense seconds. Serena pushed up on the floor, trying to stand once more. Her knee hurt a little, but once Braixen had helped her into position, she found the wound didn't smart as much as when she put pressure on it. "You're naïve about how those things work…"

"So what if I am? !" Ash spouted back. "At least I haven't given up!"

"I haven't given up," Zinnia corrected him, wagging her finger in chastisement. "I just know how every world works. Truthfully, I admire your brand of boundless optimism. It's so like hers…but optimistic people are the ones who usually end up dead!" Zinnia waved her arm out and Salamence reared its head in a roar, jetting forward to her side, as if to prepare for their final battle. Serena walked forward, wincing slightly as her scraped knee burned. "The future only leads to despair! There's nothing on the other side of it unless you take it for yourself! Who cares about anyone else's future? If we constantly consider everyone else's dreams, you'll never obtain happiness for yourself! So, is it really so wrong to want to scratch out some happiness?"

"You don't get it at all, Zinnia," Ash roared, his voice echoing around the open space. "You think happiness is destroying other people's lives? Happiness comes from being with others and Pokémon! If you focus on the things you have in your life instead of what could have been-"

"Shut UP!" Zinnia roared. Serena reached out and put a hand on Ash's shoulder. He looked at her and she had to shake her head.

"Zinnia won't listen. She's too hurt. Too controlled by pain," Serena told him. Ash's whole body appeared to sag at this information. "She really does believe this is the only way…because she  _is_  alone."

"But she's not!" Ash screamed, as though he couldn't understand why someone would think that way. It reminded Serena of a small child who couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed a new toy. But this wasn't the same; none of them could truly understand Zinnia's pain of losing someone so close. Ash reached up and took Serena's hand. "She's not alone…she has Salamence, and all of her Draconid friends, right? Weren't they moving forward together? Shouldn't that be enough to push past the pain?"

"Not everyone is you, Ash…" Serena pointed out, squeezing his hand. "Not everyone is as strong."

"I'm not always strong, though…" Ash told her, and his eyes flashed with some pain. "I've seen a lot of Pokémon die or be tortured before, and all I could do was watch helplessly as it happened. I know what it's like to feel so weak…but my Pokémon and my friends would always be there. We'd share that pain and push past it, and then we'd move toward the future together. We'd take that next step together."

 _Little steps…_ It had been Serena's motto almost this entire week. All of the steps she was taking with Ash, or within herself. He was right. Every journey started with a simple step. Ash took a step towards her that day at summer camp. She'd taken a step out of Vaniville Town to start her journey. Clemont had taken the step of facing Clembot to retake his gym. Team Rocket took a lot of steps, some of them backwards, but they kept going even after disappointment. Everyone had taken steps; even Team Brutal had taken that step towards becoming better trainers.

Ash had figured it out, and his face was dawning with his own realization. Zinnia was mired in the past, and she'd dragged others along with her into her mess. She hadn't taken that step, because she considered it to hold nothing but despair. She didn't want the future, but a return of the past. None of that was moving forward, not like they all were.

Now, Zinnia just needed to understand that she didn't have to take the step into that frightening future alone.

"Serena…this is the final battle," Ash said under his breath, continuing to grip her hand tightly. "Just…fight with me. Okay?"

"You know I always will, Ash," Serena assured him. He smiled that tender smile at her, the one that would usually make her heart melt. This time, however, it firmed up in resolution and both turned to face back towards Zinnia, who looked like she was just waiting for them to make a move. Or maybe she couldn't move, considering the particles continuing to fly out from her arm and leg. Serena took one step forward. "Braixen, use Fire Blast!"

"Talonflame, get in there with Flame Charge!" Braixen swept forward, its wand pointing forward and shooting out the all too familiar five-pronged flame, though this time the points were bending inward as Talonflame rushed into the flames. As its own body was being consumed by fire, the blaze before it increased in volume and intensity. "Get on top, Hawlucha!"

"Lucha ha!" Hawlucha said as he leapt into Greninja's arms. The Ninja Pokémon then lobbed him at Talonflame where he landed with all the grace of a gymnast. The flames didn't even appear to bother him as Talonflame went blasting forward. Salamence floated forward, its body still wracked in pain from its current burn. Even through that pain, it swiped its wing downward in an attempt to cause enough wind to knock its opponents of course. Talonflame wavered a little, but wasn't deterred from its course.

"Leap off and use Flying Press!" Ash yelled, throwing his hand forward. Serena was still holding onto it and she was dragged forward a little. This earned her a sheepish smile, but also encouraged her to take her own action. Before she did, Hawlucha leapt off and spun in midair before doing a full body slam onto Salamence's wings followed by Talonflame impacting with its exposed chest.

"Your turn, Sylveon! Use Fairy Wind as a rising air current!" Serena yelled to her Pokémon. Sylveon pranced forward a little.

"Syl!" Sylveon bellowed loudly as its feelers whipped outward and began to rotate. From that rotation, Sylveon produced the pink dusted wind of Fairy Wind that acted more like a vent blowing towards Salamence. "Pancham, let's ride the wind like we've been practicing!"

"Pikachu, time for you to get in there, too! Don't let Salamence attack!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu confirmed, jumping into the turret at the same time as Pancham. Both of the Pokémon reached over for each other and joined hands to ride the blast of wind, spinning along the spiral of dust until they were close to Salamence. Without their trainers' commands, Pikachu let go as Pancham struck Salamence's jaw with an Arm Thrust and Fairy Wind buffeted it. Pikachu, on the other hand, had gotten above Salamence, only to slam down with an Iron Tail that pushed Salamence away.

"Great job, buddy! Greninja, your turn!" Ash yelled to the only Pokémon of his that hadn't resumed the attack. Serena felt Ash's hand let go of hers as he ran at the stunned Zinnia. She wasn't sure why the Draconid was so surprised: Ash never gave up. In fact, neither of them were giving up, though Zinnia was acting like she didn't understand how they were still fighting. Or maybe it was those strange particles coming from her body. Ash finally reached Zinnia and punched at her.

"Haven't I already shown you," Zinnia said, blocking the blow with her palm, "that you don't know how to fight against a warrior."

"That's not stopping me from trying," Ash seethed, his free fist now clocking her against the face. Zinnia recoiled and her hand brushed against the meteorite. She hissed, as if burned, and returned with a swift kick to Ash's gut. He stumbled back as Greninja sped past him, a white blade of energy in his hand. The Ninja Pokémon zipped through the area until he brought that blade against Salamence's head. The Dragon Pokémon recoiled before using its malleable wings to turn its body and slash against Greninja with a Dragon Claw on its wing.

"Greninja!" Ash cried, only to wheel away from Zinnia. The girl had entered into a crouch and was dashing at him like some feral Pokémon about to head-butt him. She was only somewhat successful, though, since Ash managed to not move any more backwards. Serena's fists clenched, feeling useless in the moment, until she saw Braixen leap out from behind and catch Greninja. Ash's Water type turned his head and nodded at her. Braixen appeared to smile, twirling her wand, like she was giving him some sort of strategy. Serena decided she would leave them to it; she had to help Ash.

Braixen began to dance, like she always did in their performances, twirling her wand as she danced forward. At the same time, it looked like Greninja was becoming a part of the performance. With every tap of Braixen's wand, a new pillar of flame would emerge from the floor, blasting away some of the surface. There was no time for Serena to bemoan the destruction of interior decorating as she ran up to Zinnia, grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from Ash. The Draconid stumbled back and fell onto her behind, though she hardly looked down and out. The honey-blonde Performer turned her head and noticed as Greninja was now running through the flame turrets. With every passing glance, copies of him were made, each one of them creating copies of his Water Shuriken. It was a brilliant combination; one Serena would have to think of if she and Ash ever had to provide some performance together.

"Do it now!" Ash yelled. Braixen slammed her wand down one more time, causing all of the flame pillars but one to vanish. That single one erupted from beneath Salamence, tossing it upward just as all of the Greninjas tossed their Water Shuriken forward. A couple of them hit, but it ended when Zinnia gave her next command.

"Dragon Breath!" she gasped out, still reeling from having fallen to the floor. For being a supposed warrior, Zinnia really didn't have much endurance. The green flames of Dragon Breath flew out, aiming right for the gaggle of Greninja. It washed over them and Greninja was tossed backwards. Ash turned right around, and before Serena could stop him, he went straight into the flames. She wanted to chide him for such a reckless move, but when she saw him grab Greninja's arm before he fell off the edge, all she could do was breathe in relief. Salamence's attack, however, showed no signs of stopping.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu buzzed with electricity before sending it out in a raging arc. Salamence was consumed by the attack, snapping its mouth shut to grit its teeth, bracing from the attack. "No giving up! Hawlucha, Karate Chop! Talonflame, Brave Bird!"

"Lucha!"

"Flame!" Both of Ash's Pokémon sped from where they were towards the hulking form of Salamence's body. The Dragon Pokémon turned, ready to counterattack, but flames consumed its body and the balance of it tipped to the left. It was the other side of the wing that Hawlucha slammed into with Karate Chop. The imbalance caused Salamence to spin in midair a little. It may have been a Mega Evolution, but at the moment it was proving to be no match for teamwork.

"Come on, Pikachu! Hit it with Electro Ball!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, leaping towards the meteorite and bounding off it. As he did so, a bright light glowed from the air just past the edge of the castle. Serena took a look and saw that the edge of the burgeoning dimensional rift closest to them looked like it was splitting again. If Serena squinted a little, she could have sworn she saw something floating within that tiny, slowly opening space. "Pika pika pika pika pika pika…chu pi!"

Pikachu's orb of crackling electricity flew out with speed and slammed into Salamence's head. The shock must have traveled down its very spine, because it convulsed all the way over its body as both the electricity and the burn passed through it. Then Salamence slammed onto the floor, skidding to Zinnia's side. The Draconid was getting up now, brushing her hand on Salamence. The Dragon Pokémon began to get up as well. Serena's attention returned to this new rift. She could definitely see inside now.

"Ash! We need to finish this up! That pocket dimension is almost open!" Serena yelled, running to his side as he and Greninja returned to the center of the room.

"NO!" Zinnia screamed. Serena whipped around to her and saw tears flying from the Draconid's eyes. Salamence was also hovering just inches above the ground, looking like it was about to pass out. "You can't do that! You can't take my future! Her future!"

"You're not looking to have a future!" Serena screamed. A sharp howling started blowing in her ears and the honey-blonde noticed the meteorite pulsing with energy. They had to end this. "You're stuck in the past. You're not even moving forward."

"I am moving forward!" Zinnia snapped. "I'm trying to escape the utter despair of my own past and building my happy future."

"But by doing that, you're hurting everyone else's future," Ash said, glaring at her. "I can't allow you to do that."

"You don't understand a thing, Ash Ketchum!" Zinnia roared. She flung her arm out and Salamence began gathering energy towards its mouth for another Hyper Beam…the final Hyper Beam. "You don't understand that Aster was the road to peace until she was taken! That cast us all into utter despair. You could never understand me unless you faced that despair."

"That's not true!" Ash screamed. "We'll never give into despair, no matter what's thrown at us. We don't need to understand you, or face it, we just need to take steps one day at a time and move forward. Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Talonflame, light it with Flame Charge! Hawlucha, hit it with Karate Chop!"

"Sylveon, Fairy Wind! Braixen, use Flamethrower, and Pancham, Dark Pulse!" Serena reached over and took Ash's hand as each of their Pokémon ran forward. Pikachu sent a searing bolt of lightning that joined with Braixen's flame, before glittering with the Fairy Wind. Then Dark Pulse hit it and it pulsed with shadows while Talonflame swooped through it, lighting it ablaze once more. Hawlucha swung in and punched at it, sending the mass of attacks at Salamence. As it soared on its way, Greninja leapt forward, his body glowing. Ash's body heated up, but Serena didn't let go, keeping a firm grip on his hand while Greninja and its water veil dove into the attack headed for Salamence.

"We're not giving in to despair, Zinnia. We're all working together towards a bright future," Ash told her. "That's all we need to do! We're moving toward that bright future together, along with all of our dreams! Because we believe in each other! We'll take every step together and we'll find the road to peace. We don't need your wish  _or_  your despair, because we'll never give up! Not as long as we have dreams worth fighting for. Let's gooooooooo!"

"Greeeeeee….ninja!" Greninja screamed as the attack finally seared across Salamence and Greninja's Aerial Ace slashed through its wing. Salamence flew backwards as the light from both Greninja and Salamence faded, both returning to their former forms. Zinnia's eyes widened as Salamence slammed into her and they both collided with the meteorite. A slight spark fizzled and Serena saw something pop off the rock, just before a crack appeared. Zinnia fell off and Serena let out a breath of relief.

Then energy came pouring out of the fissure in the meteorite, right towards the pocket dimension. Serena looked to Ash as the energy washed over all of them…and then her vision went blank.

* * *

Clemont was rushing, his hands flying over the current machine he was building. It wasn't easy, no matter how many times he had done it, though at least this time he wasn't alone. Next to him were Conway and Kenneth. They may not have been engineers in the same vein as him, but their knowledge was still extremely helpful under the short timeframe and pressure that he was forced to make this. Also nearby were Bonnie, Dedenne and Squishy, each of whom were cheering loudly with unending support for him.

"You're certain this is going to work?" Gary asked incredulously. He had taken a break from attacking the meteorite to ask this rather infuriating question. Clemont looked up, noticing that the attacking trainers weren't getting any farther than they were at the start of their assault.

"It might…if you didn't bother us," Conway said, adjusting his glasses menacingly. Gary threw his hands up, like he didn't want to get into another fight. Instead, he commanded Umbreon to use another Shadow Ball. Clemont sighed, watching as Team Brutal, Dawn, May and Brock threw their strongest Pokémon at the meteorite, barely even making a scratch. It simply reaffirmed Clemont's theory in his head.

"The electrical circuitry is all done," Kenneth told him, closing the case on the medium-sized device in front of the trio. Clemont nodded and flicked the switch. True to what he had expected, Kenneth's knowledge of electricity had come in handy and the device started up with little problem. Clemont turned his vision toward the sky but saw Rayquaza still razing the area indiscriminately.

"I could have sworn I designed that pulse emitter the right way," Conway said with a frown. Clemont had thought so, too. The reason he had brought the two of them to help him out was because of their engineering prowess, but now it was looking pointless. He had designed the specs on the actual machine itself to be exactly what he wanted: a machine that would send out pulse sounds to Rayquaza and draw it to their location. In its current state, combined with the added annoyance the machine could provide, it would likely attack with its Hyper Beam and destroy the meteorite for them, and all they had to do was protect themselves. Kenneth had designed the electrical work, as Clemont wouldn't have enough time to work it out on his own. Trevor had provided some interesting data on Rayquaza's cry that he had once gotten from Professor Sycamore while Conway had designed the pulse emitter to actually emulate it.

"Clearly it's not working…" Bonnie said dryly. Clemont sighed and looked over his designs. He couldn't figure out why it wasn't working.

"Did you account for the Mega Evolution?" Aston asked. Clemont blinked as he looked at the approaching mayor. Professor Sycamore had come with him, holding a pokeball in his hand as he went towards the trainers in the square. It was obvious that he wanted to help out. Aston, given his older age, leaned against one of the buildings and let out a laborious breath.

"I realize that the Rayquaza above us is different, but how does that affect what sounds affect it?" Conway asked, scratching his head just a little in either confusion or frustration.

"Normally, I'd say you're right, young man," the mayor told him. "This is the one case, however, where you're wrong. Rayquaza is the sole Mega Evolution that's…different. In fact, this particular Rayquaza is even more different; it comes from the other side, which is probably part of the reason it's so agitated."

"Just put it in little kid terms," Bonnie insisted of the mayor. Clemont almost sighed at how disrespectful she sounded, but considering the urgency of the situation, he figured that he'd just scold her later.

"The meteorites inside Rayquaza's body are interfering with the signal," Aston concluded. "Those meteorites are vibrating at a certain pitch because of the lunar and celestial phases. Find that frequency, and then find a pitch that both cancels it out and attracts Rayquaza here."

Clemont felt a little stupid; why hadn't he thought of that earlier? He even had an invention already built for finding the pitch of things. Not that he'd ever had a need to use it before, but one never knew when an invention would be useful. He dug into his backpack and pulled out the device, which looked like a cross between a tuning fork and a heart monitor. He quickly handed it over to Bonnie.

"Bonnie, I need you to find that thing's frequency," he said. Handing her the device was easily his way of saying that he trusted in her. Bonnie smiled and she ran off towards the meteorite. The other trainers ceased their attacks as she ran in, but it looked like they would have anyway. Each one of them and their Pokémon were looking exhausted as their efforts were all for naught. Bonnie weaved through all of the trainers and Pokémon, climbing over the ropes surrounding the meteorite and pressing the invention against it. Clemont waited, and was surprised to hear the ding from it. He breathed in relief as Bonnie ran back over.

"Here you go, Clemont!" Bonnie piped up cheerily, like she was trying to lighten the situation. Clemont offered a smile as thanks but he and Conway instantly huddled over the device. Conway clapped his hands together, indicating that he had found the right frequency. Well, it had taken him about half a minute to make the right calculations.

" _Please_  tell me you guys are almost done!" May yelled out from closer to the meteorite. Conway instantly started making the adjustments and Clemont made sure to turn the device off so that his plan wouldn't screw up.

"Yes, we're almost done, ya screaming Exploud!" Kenneth yelled, stomping towards May furiously. The brunette rolled her eyes and clenched her stomach. Obviously she was hungry. Conway finished making the final adjustments to the device and he smirked a little, like he was proud of his work. With that Clemont sucked in a breath of air and ran forward, wheeling the device towards the meteorite while everyone completely ended their attacks.

"Let's hope this one doesn't blow up, either," Bonnie said. Under any normal circumstance, Clemont would have thought his sister was making fun of him. In this circumstance, however, he knew it was a very earnest wish of hers. Clemont faced her and took her into a hug. She seemed surprised by the action until he pushed her away a little and looked her in the eyes.

"Bonnie, no matter what happens here, I'm going to protect you. That's my job as your big brother," he said seriously. Bonnie stared at him, and Clemont noticed tears in her eyes before she nodded vigorously. "Now, let's flick this switch together."

"Okay," Bonnie answered. She turned to the invention and the Lumiose City siblings swallowed their anticipation and reached forward. Dedenne scrambled down Bonnie's arm in order to join them. Clemont quickly made sure it was as close to the meteorite as it could be and he took a quick breath. As one, they flicked the switch.

A piercing roar sounded only seconds after the pulsing sound wave was emitted. Clemont grabbed Bonnie and turned to the source of the roar. Rayquaza was heading their way, and there was only one thing left to do. Gary was already on top of it.

"Everyone, cluster together, join your hands if you need to," he yelled out to every trainer in the square. Clemont took Bonnie's hand and began to carry her over to where every trainer and their Pokémon were gathering. "If any of your Pokémon know Reflect, Light Screen, Protect, or Mirror Coat, bring them out right now, 'cause we're gonna need everything we've got!"

"You heard him!" Seamus yelled, tossing a pokeball into the air. A Carracosta emerged and Seamus instantly ordered it to use Protect. All around, other trainers like Rocky were giving the same orders to their own Pokémon. Gary had even called out his Electivire again. Aria was doing her work with Aromatisse's Reflect around the entire group. At this point, with the shadow of Rayquaza passing over head and circling around the square, it was all they could do.

"Everyone, stick together!" Brock said calmly, putting the group at ease despite the potential doom they were all facing. Bonnie gripped Clemont tighter. Above, Rayquaza had stopped, its body glowing as it began calling forth the energy for a massive Hyper Beam. "No matter what, we're making it out of this. We're all going to get back home together!"

"Yeah!" cried the group of trainers. One by one, each of them linked each other's hands with their Pokémon and whoever was closest to them, and then they all raised their hands to the sky. It was a final sign of victory, even as tears sprouted from most of their eyes. This was it.

Rayquaza fired the Hyper Beam and Bonnie clenched around him. Clemont closed his eyes, awaiting the end should their defense fail. He had already been hit once, so he wasn't scared. In fact, in those moments, other than thinking of Bonnie and his father, he thought of Ash and Serena and he hoped with all his heart that they would be okay.

The Hyper Beam struck the meteorite…and everything exploded.

"I love you, big brother!" Bonnie yelled over the rush of noise. She sounded like she was crying as the green shield of Protect shook around them. Clemont still didn't look, but he could hear the cracking of the shield, knowing that it wasn't going to be enough against such a destructive force that had razed Ancien City. He pulled Bonnie in tighter.

"I love you, too, Bonnie!"

A wrenching, shattering sound filled Clemont's ears and was replaced with a howling wind. Against his feet's firm wish to remain on the ground, the blast was far too strong and Clemont was thrown off his feet. Judging from the screams mixed in with the howling, he wasn't alone. The only thing he could do in that moment was hold on to Bonnie tightly as they were flung away. He did keep his eyes closed, however, not wanting to see the end that he was certain was coming.

Then he felt his back hit the ground, pain arcing up it as he skidded across the rough tiles that tore at his jumpsuit. Clemont didn't move, didn't breathe, didn't even think for a moment as his ears rang with the sound of the howling blast. Suddenly, it went silent, and all he could hear was Bonnie's muted sobbing into his jumpsuit and the slight trickling of falling rubble. He still felt the pain, but realized what a wonderful feeling it was. Pain meant one thing: he and Bonnie were alive!

With a gasp to return to his normal breathing pattern, Clemont jolted upwards, carrying his sister with him. He also opened his eyes but everything was too blurry to tell any detail as his glasses appeared to have been knocked off. He did see vague shapes, though, like a bright red from where he thought the square was, and a fading green.

"Ne ne!" Dedenne chattered out, climbing up onto Clemont's chest with his glasses. With a word of thanks, Clemont took them and shoved them on. Everything became much sharper.

The meteorite was gone…irrevocably destroyed. So was much of the square, aside from the trainers that all appeared to be bruised and scattered about, but very much alive. What  _was_  left of the meteorite was nothing but rubble, smaller chunks of space rock that had stopped glowing, returning to a smoky slate-like color. Daring to chance a look at the sky, Clemont saw the dimensional rift up above fading away. The sky was returning to normal, no longer tinged with the eerie green tint that had split it in half. The stars were returning to their full brightness, though the Draco constellation appeared to be fading a little, and the moon seemed to start waxing once again.

Rayquaza was leaving, too, although at this point its body was back to looking like it was normal. It let out a final anguished roar as it soared over the city a final time. Maybe it was no longer in pain from the meteorites no longer being in its body. Or maybe it had given up on returning home with its only link to the dimension broken. Whatever it was, Rayquaza had lost its Mega Evolution and was returning to wander the wilds for whatever reason, finished with the conflict that had brought it here. Everything was returning to normal…at least, everything except Ancien Castle. As Clemont stood, with Bonnie still clinging to him, he saw that the green glow hadn't faded from around it, like the top floor of the castle was trapped in its own dimensional rift at the moment.

"They're okay, right?" Bonnie sobbed out, the fear over what had just happened still evident in her voice. "Ash and Serena are okay, right?"

"Yeah…" Clemont said, although his tone was unsure. Suddenly, he heard a chuckling behind him, followed by a hacking cough. The siblings turned around and saw that Edwin was laying there. Only, there was something strange. It was like he was dissolving.

"They're…probably trapped…in the pocket dimension we were…trying to reach," the Draconid said with another chuckle. "And you destroyed that link…they probably won't leave it now."

"You're…you're lying!" Bonnie screeched. Edwin gave off another chuckle. Clemont watched him in horror as his body seemed to start disintegrating.

"I have no reason to," he said calmly, almost resigned. "We lost…we worked so hard…went through so much…but we lost. We never foresaw every trainer that had just been pitted against each other coming together as one unit. That was my mistake."

"And this?" Clemont asked, trying to adjust his glasses so they sat on his face a little better. "Why are you…fading away?"

Edwin blinked and raised his arm up, like he was taking a look at it. "Huh…Guess our time is up. We crossed the boundary…tamed dragons for our ends…hurt people, and drew too close to where we came from. Maybe this is punishment for our sins. It's a fitting end…"

"You're…?" Clemont wasn't quite sure he could get the words out. Edwin turned his head and smiled a little, and for the first time since they began to fight, he looked normal. Tears were running down his face.

"I loved her, you know…that's why I didn't have it in me to stop her," he said. "Now, I guess we'll all go together…wherever it is we're going."

"But…" Even Bonnie seemed torn on what to say to the fading boy. The smile, however, never faded, almost like he was fully accepting of whatever his fate was.

"Thank you…for freeing us…and, I'm sorry." Clemont blinked once and then Edwin was gone. From a little further down, Alice was disappearing as well, though she didn't wake up to it. Bonnie just hugged Clemont tighter. The city grew quiet. The Dragon types were no longer attacking, and the Draconids had all but vanished. All they had to worry about were Ash and Serena (and Miette, Clemont realized, since she hadn't been with the rest of them).

"Where do you think they went?" Bonnie asked, still holding tight, albeit with a little distance. Clemont shook his head. He didn't know the answer, but for his sister, he could give his best guess.

"I think…without the meteorites linking the dimensions…they returned home. They weren't stuck here anymore." Not that he knew where home was for those lonely Draconids.

"And…do you think they'll make it back? Ash and Serena?" That was one he couldn't even have a guess to, but he knew what he wanted it to be.

"Of course they will." Clemont only hoped that he was right.

* * *

She was floating…floating in an endless white space. Her hand was clasping something warm, and she, herself, felt like she was wrapped in a blanket made of warm clouds. The feeling was comforting, and yet, she knew that she could hear crying, somewhere in the distance. And there was a voice, echoing around that strange and empty space.

"Zinnia, are you crying again?" the voice asked. It sounded sweet, like starlight or love…which seemed ambiguous, but was the only thing she could think of. The sobbing trailed off, and a familiar voice answered the other one.

"N-no…" she said. Serena's eyes snapped open. Where was she? Why was she hearing Zinnia speak in such a timid, sad voice? Serena tried to move, but she found that she simply went spinning in a world without gravity. Her hand never let go of what it was holding on to, though, which appeared to be Ash's hand. He was just floating there, a serene smile on his face, like he was dreaming. She was sure  _she_  wasn't dreaming, though. Not when she saw the two girls in front of her: one with black-hair and tear marks on her face, and another with beautiful lilac hair, pulling the girl back up.

"It's Aster…" Serena breathed, recognizing a younger form of the girl from the mural. Zinnia latched her arms around the girl and began crying into her chest. Serena began to understand; these were Zinnia's memories. Memories of Aster.

"You don't need to cry, Zinnia," Aster said, stroking the girl's hair softly. "You're not alone."

"But…mommy and daddy…" Zinnia howled. A small Pokémon bounced from Aster's side onto Zinnia's head. It looked like a Whismur that snuggled her, like it was attempting to cheer her up.

"I know…we all know that pain," Aster told her, smiling softly at both the girl and Pokémon together. "Thanks to war, we've all lost someone, but we can't give in to that despair. Okay? We need to stay together and move forward; find some measure of peace."

"You're always so mature, Aster," Zinnia said. She was choking back tears, but it looked like she had finally finished her crying. Aster appeared to smile and she hugged Zinnia tightly. Now, Serena could understand; Aster had been like a sister to her, a bond not made of blood, but one so close that nothing could have broken it.

Strange swirls of green surrounded Serena's body and pushed out in a gust that made the image of the two girls vanish, replaced by another. Now there was a table with a map and Serena saw the now older yet familiar purple-haired girl leaning over it in contemplation. She wasn't alone; Zinnia was at her side, along with the other Draconids that had arrived in the coliseum to attack them.

"The Magma Nation is coming from the north, and the Aqua Nation from the south," Edwin pointed out, tracing lines from two areas towards what seemed to be their current position. "If they get here at the same time, we'll be in trouble."

"I would say just hand over the meteorites," Alice said with a huff, "but they're such important heirlooms, and who knows what they'd do with them."

"They're nothing," Jael said, reaching out to bump fists with his brother.

"Bro and I can handle anything." Aster appeared to crack out a chuckle until she turned to her best friend. Serena turned with her, seeing that she wasn't happy at all.

"Are you okay, Zinnia? You've been looking grim," Aster noted. Zinnia frowned but turned to look at her.

"There were some rumors when I infiltrated the nations," the raven-haired Draconid answered. "Apparently Galactica might come for the meteorites as well, for some sinister purpose."

"That's disturbing…but unless we have proof, there's not much we can do about it," Aster concluded. Her body turned a little and Serena saw a medal pinned to her chest, like she was some sort of army commander. It certainly made sense, considering who was assembled around her. Aster ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Oh, well. We'll just have to do the best we can. Get some rest, guys. It'll be a long day tomorrow."

"I wanna get some training in," Kael commented with a fist pump. "Edwin, you and Alice against me and Jael."

"Ugh, fine…Come on, Flygon." Zinnia appeared to laugh at them retreating away and she bent down to pat her own Bagon on the head. Aster turned to her, a smile on her lips, before looking through the canopy of the tent and at the stars.

"What are you thinking about?" Zinnia asked, coming to stand by her side. That same Whismur was on the table, resting.

"Oh, just a world that didn't have war," Aster said quietly. "I wonder what it's like on that other side. Are they still fighting that war from three thousand years ago? Is it like our world? Or have they advanced beyond it?"

"Same old dreaming Aster," Zinnia laughed out, bumping her friend with her elbow. Aster didn't retaliate, but continued smiling softly. Serena looked past them, out at the barren wasteland that appeared to be the terrain outside of their tent. It was just a little depressing, and she could understand how Zinnia had thought of her life as nothing but hardship and despair. "Tell me your dream again."

"Again? Zinnia, I've said it at least a thousand times," Aster said with a light laugh. It was a beautiful laugh, Serena thought. "Okay…I want a world full of flowers...asters…and zinnias…and I want to travel the world with all of my friends, and Whismur too, of course."

"Whismur!" the purple Pokémon peeped out. Aster reached forward and scratched it behind the ears. Zinnia appeared to like this dream, and it sounded lovely.

"The Draco constellation will shine tomorrow, and there's a new moon, too," Aster said. She pulled Zinnia in for a slight hug. "Get some rest, Zinnia."

Then they faded away, but Serena's eyes stayed rooted on that exact spot. Within her hand, Ash was gripping it tighter. Maybe he was seeing her dreams and memories as well, or maybe he was just in pain. The honey blonde couldn't be sure, but she gasped an inaudible gasp when she saw what appeared next. Aster was lying on the ground, bleeding, and Whismur was at her side, rocking back and forth like its own life was about to end. Zinnia was crouching over her, tears fumbling down her face. The other four Draconids were there, too, and there were the sounds of battle surrounding them.

"Aster! Aster!" Zinnia was screaming. "Edwin, help me!"

"No…" Aster suddenly groaned out. She didn't move her entire body, just her hand as she reached up and cupped Zinnia's face. That action didn't last long, sliding away and leaving a smear of blood on Zinnia's cheek. "It's too late for me…"

"No! Aster, you can't…! I won't let you," Zinnia screamed. Her voice was so guttural, like a wounded animal. Serena felt her own eyes tear up at the sight, watching as they were all bathed in that same green glow that had pervaded Ancien City all night. "Please, Aster! We promised, didn't we? ! We promised we'd all step forward into the future together! We promised we'd travel together!"

"Yes…we did…" Aster chuckled out, but it looked like it hurt. "Guess I'm starting my journey first, then."

"Aster…" Edwin said, dropping to his knees behind Zinnia. All of them looked like they were in pain. "Come on…you can make it, right?"

"Sure…" she responded. "I have a job to do, right? I'm supposed to continue the legacy of the Draconids, right? So, let's…let's find the road to peace together, huh?"

"That's right! You have to stay!" Zinnia screamed. Aster just smiled, but said nothing. Serena wasn't even sure if she was moving. In fact, Aster's eyes had gone blank, like the life was gone from them. Even Whismur had stopped rocking back and forth. "No…Please, Aster…please…I…I…"

Zinnia couldn't get the words out. She just screamed, the tears no longer trickling, but streaming. It was like they wouldn't end, and finally, Serena understood. As the giant forms of two ancient legendary Pokémon rose on the battlefield and the familiar form of Rayquaza passed overhead, engulfing all of them in green light, Serena understood. Zinnia had lost Aster. The girl she loved so much had died in front of her eyes, and it had filled her with despair. Then she wound up in their world, which was so peaceful that she must not have understood why Aster had to die at all. The green glow turned into more mist, which transformed into Zinnia on her knees before a Mamoswine of a man.

"Please! I've looked through the legends of this world!" Zinnia screamed. "You brought the dead back to life! Just show me how! I need to bring her back…I need to…I…I have to tell her something."

"I will not," the man said, his voice a grumbling mumble. "What I did was a mistake, and I would not have anyone else make it. It would consume you with violence as it did me."

"You don't…I have to do this!" Zinnia cried out. The man looked at her with a sad expression, as though he pitied her…or maybe he just pitied himself. "There has to be a way… _Please_!"

"Why is every era the same…Have I caused that much damage to this world?" the man said, a tear falling from his eye. He kneeled down, grabbing Zinnia's head and lifting it up with his large hands. "I feel responsible for this…You are of the Draconid clan. Perhaps, had I spared them, had I listened to their pleas, I would not have to hear yours."

"Then you'll…" Zinnia said, looking up at him with hope. It was sad; she had wanted to say something to Aster. She wanted to live in the past instead of moving towards the future. Serena supposed that regret was a powerful thing.

"I know that within a few years, this region will be on the precipice of change and turmoil…after wandering for three thousand years, I can sense these things. I only wonder if that change will be yours, or someone else's." The man stood again and turned away from Zinnia, who seemed to be smiling for the first time since Aster died. "Go to your true homeland. Go to Ancien, and you'll find your answer. I want no more involvement than that."

The two figures faded away, and beyond the newly appearing scene, Serena could see a ball of light approaching, like she had been moving towards it all this time without realizing. Before she could see what it was, she saw Zinnia, older, harsher, walking inside the coliseum and bumping into…herself.

"Sorry. I didn't look at where I was going. In a hurry," Serena apologized.

"Not a problem," Zinnia responded coolly. "Good luck in the tournament."

"Yeah…you too, I guess," Serena garbled out. Then Zinnia was walking on towards the steps that overlooked the coliseum, to where her fellow Draconids were waiting. Each of them wore hard looks, like they were steeling themselves for whatever they were going to have to do. Edwin was the first to step forward, a look of concern on his face.

"Zinnia…we don't have to do this," he said, though even his own tone sounded conflicted. Zinnia plopped herself down on a seat and crossed her legs, staring at him coldly. Gone was the smirk she seemed to wear, or the joking manner with which she carried herself.

"And who's going to stop me? You?" Zinnia snapped. Alice appeared to giggle a little.

"I really don't care, Eddie," Alice said. "These filthy people deserve it. You see how they live. They don't get it. They even make a tournament on the same day as our worst tragedy. It's insulting."

"But…didn't Aster ask us…she…" Zinnia stood and got in Edwin's face, her glare a silencing one.

"Until she's back with us, you don't get to talk about her! Now, if you want to stop me, then stop me! Otherwise, keep it shut!" Edwin simply hung his head, like there were no words he could say to sway her. Yet Serena saw something different in Zinnia's tearing eyes. Something beyond pain, beyond despair: Zinnia was pleading. She had wanted to be stopped. She must have hurt so much, wanting to change history and bring her friend back, but she still knew it was wrong, was still hanging onto Aster's final words. The Draconids all vanished and Serena was suddenly looking at the ball of light. With a tentative hand, she reached out and touched it. The light then receded, and Serena saw what was inside.

"Jirachi…" she breathed. The Wish Pokémon was lying there, its eyes open and unblinking at Serena. She knew where they were now. They were inside the pocket dimension, and somehow, Zinnia's memories must have been filtered through the meteorite to them from when she hit it. "You want me…to make a wish, don't you?"

"Jirachi…" the Pokémon said, floating in towards Serena's face. She smiled, touching it softly. Jirachi nuzzled into it, like it was nodding. Serena closed her eyes, knowing she had to make a wish. She could have wished for so many things: for her to win her third Princess Key, for Ash to win the Kalos League, for her to have the courage to…Yet in that same moment, she realized how selfish all of those things were. How none of them mattered in comparison to the pain that Zinnia felt. There was only one thing to wish for. It wouldn't make their lives better, but at the least, it would make things right again.

"I wish…" she said, touching her forehead to Jirachi's, "for everything to be the way it should…and…if you can…please, take away the pain."

Jirachi appeared to smile and it floated upward and away, leaving behind a trail of stars, almost like the Draco constellation. Serena gripped Ash's hand tightly and shut her eyes. No matter what her wish meant, she had a feeling that Jirachi could see into her very heart. Underneath her closed eyelids, Serena felt she could see everything that had led to this point, and she hoped and wished it would turn out right.

Her feet suddenly hit the cold tiles of Ancien Castle's third floor. She stumbled forward, but Ash managed to catch her, seemingly awake. Serena opened her eyes and looked at him before her gaze traveled over to Zinnia and Salamence. Their bodies were dissolving into the same particles that had plagued her over the course of their battle.

"Why are you…?" she asked. Hadn't she wished for everything to made right? Serena's gaze traveled skyward and saw the pocket dimension was gone. There was no more glow of green, and nearby, the meteorite had lost its shine, a spider web of cracks traveling along its surface. Now it was just a normal rock, slowly disintegrating into nothing but dust.

"I'm from the other side…" Zinnia breathed out, reaching up with a hand to cover her face as she lay there. Still, Serena could see the tears. "The link is broken and…I was too greedy. I controlled all those Dragon Pokémon, used Mega Evolution despite being born on the other side. My body couldn't handle it…and the meteorite took away the rest."

"But…you can't just go like this," Ash commented, breaking contact with Serena's hand and walking over to Zinnia. "We'd never meet again."

"Meeting again…? Yes…I'd like that," she said before her voice turned into sobs. "I just wanted to see her again. There were so many things I left unsaid…She was my sister…and I could never tell her that I loved her!"

"Maybe you'll see her again, even without all this," Ash said. Serena wanted to believe his words, but she wasn't sure if Ash was trying to comfort the girl as she continued to fade away, or if he was trying to convince himself.

"Maybe I will," Zinnia laughed out, taking the hand away from her eyes. She turned her head to look up at Ash from the floor. "You remind me so much of her…your optimism, your leadership…Thank you for stopping me…thank you for…" She let out a strangled sob for just a single moment before turning back to Ash with a true, genuine smile this time. "I feel so much lighter. I feel…like I can finally move on. You all took that burden from me. That's why, Ash Ketchum, I want you to promise me one thing: promise me you won't give into despair. No matter what happens. No matter what pain you face."

"I promise," Ash said quickly. It was obvious that he didn't even need to think about it. "I'll never give up, and I'll never stop fighting."

"Good…" Zinnia said. Then she looked away at her fading Salamence. "Salamence…let's go home now." Salamence let out a weak roar and Ash stood. He stepped back towards Serena and the both of them watched as Zinnia faded away, like she had never been there in the first place. With a sharp exhalation, Serena felt the tension leave her body.

It was over.

Serena's body was ready to give out, and it was clear that her and Ash's Pokémon were no different, each one of them having collapsed from exhaustion. Ash turned to look at her with a smile, and she noticed a small tear. They may have only known Zinnia for the span of a single night, yet what she had imparted seemed to have made a lasting impact on both of them. Serena smiled back and then watched as Ash's knees buckled underneath him, the utter exhaustion of the day finally claiming him. She dropped to her knees and caught him, his head resting on her shoulder as he passed out.

"Thank you, Ash," she said to him softly. Her eyes traveled over to where Zinnia had been just moments ago, and the words Zinnia had spoken came back to her. She had left so many things unsaid to the one person that mattered most. Gripping Ash's body tighter in a hug, she knew that she had to say those things aloud, even if he couldn't hear them. So, she did. "I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Originally, this chapter was going to be the latter half of Chapter 20. Then it got long…like really long. So, I took the axe to it and chopped it in two. I really didn't want to sacrifice this important content. An emotional finale nonetheless, with everyone playing a part in resolving this. As for what happened to the Draconids at the end, you can feel free to draw your own conclusions: maybe they went back to their world, maybe they died, who knows? Simply put, Serena's wish returned them back to the world outside of the pocket dimension and made it so that the meteorites could never be used again. It also helped Zinnia to feel lighter and unburdened by her pain, able to move on. All this being said, the next chapter is the last one.
> 
> Writing this for all of you has been a joy thus far, and with only one chapter left, I hope you'll join me at the end of this journey. Until that time comes, Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	22. An Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at last: the final chapter of our journey together. I put a lot of work into the whole story and this part in particular. Please enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom. Final chapter 22!

Chapter 22

An Ending

"Did you read the newspaper this morning? They finally published an article on that attack a week ago!"

"About time! You'd think in this modern age there'd be more communication and less issues. We've been working our butts off fixing the castle for tonight's Ball and they  _just_  gave us the last order of shipments we need to do it!"

"Hey, quit slacking off you two. Machoke, Throh, put the beam up there. We don't got much time left!"

"Like you're one to talk boss, you've done nothin' but read that article all day!"

"What can I say? I'm a fan. Besides, did you guys know that Ariana of Team Performer was actually Kalos Queen Aria?"

"No way! My daughter loves her. Says she wants to be a Performer when she's old enough to-Hey, you can't come in here!" The man stopped walking, staring down at the rather diminutive construction worker near him. A Machop was at his side, carrying a couple pieces of stone with one hand. Somehow, AZ found it both a comforting and heart-wrenching sight. "Sorry, no one's allowed while we finish up construction on the castle, or during the Ball tonight."

"My apologies," AZ rumbled in return. The man before him just scratched his head, looking apologetic. "I'll be leaving then."

"Okay…Machop, let's get back to work! I'm looking forward to some hot cocoa while we watch the Victory Ball tonight!"

"Machop!" the Superpower Pokémon responded with. AZ sighed, adjusted the bag on his shoulders and continued on towards the edge of Ancien City, where a forest awaited him. Maybe he could rest there in peace for the night.

Truthfully, he had only ventured into the town to see the result of that girl's, Zinnia's, plan. To some extent, he felt responsible. He had been the one to guide her down that path. Was it because he saw his own pain within her? Or was it penance of some sort? He had let the Draconids die, and to find one alive, now that his rage had subsided, served as a cold reminder of who he was…and how far he still had to go for redemption.

Had Zinnia succeeded? Had she found peace? It was obvious that she had failed, or else far too many people would have been hurt and Ancien City would not have been thriving. The real question, the one thing he had wanted to ask her, was if she could live with what she'd done. Live with the pain and despair. Because he understood it all too well. Yet, no matter how much he searched, the girl seemed to have vanished. That alone was saddening for AZ.

"No matter how many years pass…no matter the number of eras, it all stays the same…" the large man lamented as he reached the edge of the forest. That was when a burbling met his ears and he looked down on a rock outside the forest. A small green thing was upon the rock, basking in the sunlight while it stared at him. AZ grunted and made his way over to it, kneeling down to look at it. "So…after all these years, after my mistakes…are you here to deliver judgment?"

"Blrb," the strange creature sounded out. AZ heaved his shoulders and then reached over to touch the green thing.  _No, I'm not…_

"Then I guess I'm to live with my sins, no?" AZ asked. The green creature appeared to straighten itself, though neither one lost contact.

 _Zinnia failed, but in the end, she was able to let go,_  it responded.  _Have you not let go after all these years?_

"I've never found anyone capable of freeing me." The creature blinked and sagged a little, like it was disappointed in that answer. AZ could admit that perhaps it wasn't the best answer, but the creature he was touching didn't despair at his response.

 _And you thought Zinnia might, I suppose…_  it said to him sternly.  _No…Zinnia needed_ their  _help._

"They? You've found someone?" AZ was surprised. For three thousand years he had been searching for someone to right what he had done wrong. To fix the balance that had been so disturbed. "So, the balance of nature is tipping again? The region is at a breaking point?"

_Indubitably. One day very soon, I'm afraid it will slide one way or the other. I've chosen my proxies, ones that I feel will prove not all humans are abhorrent selfish beings. You're all worth giving a second chance._

"Do you…forgive me then?" AZ asked, his voice solemn. The creature wriggled a little, almost like it was shaking its head. That made him a little sad, until he heard the response.

_Does it matter? The question is if you can forgive yourself._

"And your proxies? Will they succeed?"

There was a pause in which it didn't answer. The trees rustled overhead as some Fletchling poked their heads out of their nest, and only when they retreated once more did it answer AZ.  _I'm putting my full faith in them. After seeing what they could do for Zinnia, I'm almost certain Ash and his friends will pull through._

"Ash…? I'll have to remember that name, then," AZ said. The green thing nodded and clearly decided to put an end to their conversation.

_War may come to the Kalos region soon. I'm sure we'll see each other again before then. Until then, I must get back to my tiny caretaker. I'm quite fond of her, after all, and I will be very sad to leave her, though I must._

"I understand," were the last words in the conversation. AZ pulled back and the green creature wriggled off of the rock and started squirming its way towards town. He watched it go with just a tinge of sadness. Looking forward towards the creature's destination of Ancien City, he watched the rebuilding efforts. Maybe humans could move on…maybe he could forgive himself…Still, if he hadn't managed it in three thousand years, how could he manage it before the changing of an era. Taking one last look at the endless sky, he sighed. "I hope I can see you soon, Floette."

Then he left on his endless journey once more.

* * *

Serena was jolted awake late in the morning by a sudden crashing noise. Her entire body jumped and her tablet fell from her lap onto the bed she was resting by. She rubbed her eyes vigorously and looked up to see Bonnie turning over pots, opening drawers on cabinets in the room, and flipping up bedsheets. Clemont was sitting on the bed next to her, staring at his sister with wide eyes.

"What are yoooooou….doing, Bonnie?" Serena asked with a yawn. The young girl stopped and looked back at her sheepishly.

"Dedenne and I can't find Squishy!" Bonnie chirped, though she hardly sounded worried. Serena blinked and looked over to the windowsill of the single story room they were in. On the sill was a potted plant, and blending in with it seamlessly was Squishy. So, she pointed it out to the little girl. "Ooh, yay! Thanks, Serena!"

"No problem," the honey-blonde answered, bending down to pick her tablet up. Clemont was stretching with a yawn as she straightened back up. "Feeling better finally, Clemont?"

"Much," Clemont answered, swinging himself out of the bed. As Serena had unfortunately learned when she had reunited with them, Clemont had been significantly injured in the battle that happened in Ancien City a week ago. It turned out he was extremely lucky. The doctor had told them that had Clemont not been wearing such a sturdy jumpsuit or if Brock hadn't helped him out, he could have suffered some serious damage, especially when he had strained himself after the fact. Everyone, except for the passed out Ash, breathed in relief that Clemont would be okay, even if he had to spend a week on bedrest.

Other than a few citizens that had been hurt just as badly, there was only one other person who was also confined to bedrest, and that was Miette. In fact, said bluenette was now waking up for the day herself. From what the doctor had said, both were being released today. Actually, the Victory Ball, as it was termed, had been held off to allow them to participate (and to fix Ancien Castle, but Serena felt that part was implied).

"Ugh…I can't  _wait_  to get out of here!" she said the moment she was awake. Serena laughed, drawing Miette's attention to her. As she shut her tablet, Miette joined in the laugh before mimicking Clemont in actions. "Has Ash seriously been out of here for days, already?"

"Yeah," Serena giggled out, finally standing from her chair and stretching. She finally realized that she had fallen asleep in her day clothes while keeping vigil with Bonnie over Clemont and Miette (she was just glad she had managed to recover them all from the stadium). "You know him. He's a total ball of energy. Two days of rest and he and his Pokémon have been out and about town to repair things."

"Knock knock," said a sudden voice from the door. Serena turned to see a small group of girls entering containing Aria, Nini, Shauna and Bethany. Aria was the one who had spoken. "We wanted to stop by and take you out on the town today, Miette."

"Oh…really? That's nice of you," Miette said. She slipped behind a screen in the room while Clemont turned away in embarrassment. Bonnie giggled a little at his embarrassment. When she emerged, Miette looked like her usual self, ready for a day out on the town with the girls. Serena had a very good idea of where they'd be taking her. "Let's go. I haven't been out of this stuffy doctor's office since I was brought in."

"Well, now's your chance," Nini said. Her Smoochum was at her feet, looking around like she was trying to find Pancham. Serena just shook her head as Miette went to join the group of girls.

"And we have a couple hours before the Victory Ball, so we may as well enjoy ourselves," Aria said with a little wink. "Not to mention that we can all relax. Given what happened last week, Monsieur Pierre has pushed back all Showcases a week. After all, his own travel schedule was interrupted."

"Isn't that great, Serena?" Shauna said, bouncing over to who she was talking to and grabbing her hands. Serena gripped Shauna's hands and nodded. It was good to know that she wouldn't miss the showcase in Fleurrh City because of the debacle here in Ancien City.

"Yeah, it is!"

"So…what do you plan to do for the day?" the brunette asked her. Serena let go of Shauna's hands and tapped a finger on her cheek in thought.

"Not sure…I baked some more macarons last night, so I'll probably bring them around to the workers. You guys should have fun, though," Serena told them with a wave. "I'll see you at tonight's preparations."

"Take care then, Serena," Aria said, leading the girls out. The only one that didn't leave the room was Bethany, who actually stepped a bit further in. Bonnie was on her in seconds.

"Oh, Bethany, I know we were enemies before, but now I know you're a keeper! Please look after my brother for me!"

"Bonnie!" Clemont snapped, flushed with embarrassment. Considering he didn't have his backpack on yet, he settled for grabbing Bonnie himself and dragging her back. She didn't let the grin drop from her face while Bethany chuckled.

"Sorry, but I'm taken," she said with a smile. Bonnie's face dropped comically while Serena raised an eyebrow. She didn't have to ask to guess just who she was "taken with". Besides, she knew that she would probably find out that evening. Bonnie, once she recovered, took the opportunity to look at Serena with a teasing grin. The Performer found it very easy to ignore. "Actually, though, I was looking for Brock. After everything that happened I went to the Pokémon Center and reunited with Vanilluxe."

"That's great!" Clemont said, finally letting go of Bonnie.

"Yeah…" she chuckled out nervously. "Anyway, Nurse Joy told me that Brock treated Vanilluxe after she was injured and I wanted to thank him."

"He's probably somewhere out on the town," Serena answered the girl. Bethany smiled in relief, offering a word of thanks before dashing right back out the door. Serena was almost surprised by how chipper the girl had been the last week. In fact, much of Team Brutal had been the same, none more so than Christopher and Rocky. Apparently they all saw the tournament as a real eye-opener that changed their view on things. It helped that they all nearly died and realized their Pokémon were far too precious to let go of so easily…and life was better off living instead of driving for a goal while ignoring everything else.

The slowest to change was definitely Seamus, but he was on his way there. Whenever Serena would deliver refreshments (which was at least twice a day) she would see him, Ash and Gary working together to help rebuild the city the best they could. All of their Pokémon (and Clemont's) were helping out, as well, including the Emboar that Serena thought she'd never see again. It was heartening, especially when Seamus almost slipped off a scaffold only to be caught by Ash and Gary. The three ended up breaking out into laughter. Brock, meanwhile, was treating numerous Pokémon, including the Dragon types that had gotten dragged in by that pesky dragon taming ability. Even Team Rocket had gotten in on the restoration action by selling some sort of concessions.

"Well, let's head out for our own day on the town, Bonnie," Clemont suggested to his sister as he grabbed his backpack. Bonnie leapt up and down in joy at the thought.

"Yay! Yay! Let's find you cool stuff to wear for tonight. If I let you dress yourself, I'll never find a keeper."

"Bonnie…that's not…"

"Come on, Clemont, with all your exploding inventions, you need someone like me to help you!"

"Yeah, but…my last invention's explosion wasn't my…" He apparently had no say in the matter since Bonnie grabbed his wrist and started dragging him away. Serena gave a little giggle and waved them off, promising to join them in the evening for the ball. Once they were gone and peace had returned, Serena decided to get started on her own day. Since her backpack was nearby, she reached in and grabbed a brush to quickly brush her hair before she left the doctor's office for the last time.

As she walked out onto the street, holding on to her basket of (thankfully uneaten) macarons, Serena reopened her tablet and saw that the headlining news was about what had happened a week ago. It appeared that most news outlets really didn't have the clearest of ideas about what had gone down. They definitely didn't know that the attack had been perpetuated by four participants in the tournament and Zinnia. In fact, Serena was certain most of the information was lost and that Zinnia's name would never even be known by the press. Only she and the others that had fought in that climactic battle would ever know. It almost made it a shame that Alexa hadn't been the one to cover the story.

Actually, once Serena finished perusing the article while she walked to the maintenance building and the square of Ancien City, she noticed that even her name was relatively omitted. Only a small article about the winners of the Kalos Team Tournament included her name. Mostly, the two big names in the article were Aria's for some reason…and Ash's. Serena wasn't all that surprised by the first name since she was a well-known figure and when it was revealed that she and Ariana were one and the same, it made logical sense for her to be a central figure of the articles. Ash also made sense, though, given how he rallied everyone together at the end. Apparently he had been chased by the press for a couple days after the event, with them only stopping when his Pokémon created a barrier around him.

Again, though, the article left out a  _lot_  of details. For example, no mention of Rayquaza was ever made, and as they had no idea about the identity of the attackers they had to make wild guesses that really jumped all over the board. According to the article, the meteorites had been destroyed from old age and the Dragon Pokémon that had attacked. The article also didn't mention something that Serena had found interesting: Travis had disappeared.

Apparently when Gary returned to the scene of their battle it was to find Magmortar still passed out, but Travis was nowhere to be found. Team Brutal's members found the information disconcerting but Rocky eventually just told them to "forget him, he was with the guys trying to kill us". That certainly settled the argument, especially with Gary helping Officer Jenny put out a notice for his arrest. Although, once Serena thought about it, she also realized there were rumors of a boy appearing in the next town over with burn scars and cuts all over his body, walking like the living dead. Whether there was a connection or not, she could never be sure.

Closing her tablet for the final time and slipping it into her bag, Serena finished the journey to the square.

"Refreshments are here!" she called out.

"Wow, Serena, lookin' fine!" Tierno called out, spinning over to kneel in front of her.

"Yeah…thanks, Tierno. Have a macaron," Serena offered, trying to ignore the blatant flirting she was enduring. Ever since she had said out loud that she loved Ash, she wasn't as pleased with any other boys flirting with her, especially Tierno, who seemed to have stepped it up as of late.

"You're the best! We haven't had a snack since Chespin ate them all," Gary said, shooting a glare to Clemont's gluttonous Pokémon. Chespin rubbed his head sheepishly. Serena smiled at the Grass type and placed the basket of macarons down.

"Chespin!"

"Oh, no, you little glutton! Save some for us," Seamus snapped, holding back Chespin with one hand, which really wasn't that hard. He then swiped up two of the macarons to eat and walked off, holding Chespin under his arm.

"Sweet! Macarons!" Ash exclaimed, he and Pikachu sliding down a nearby ladder and grabbing a bunch of them. Gary looked at him exasperatedly. "What? We're hungry? And Serena makes…the best…"

"Pikapi…pikachu…" Pikachu said from on top of Ash's shoulder.

"I'm glad you all like them," Serena said, breaking up the silence that had been created by Ash. Gary and Tierno ended up taking theirs and the Kanto brunet pulled the dancer away to their own section of the square. Serena finally noticed that it was almost looking pristine now, though without the meteorite it looked a little strange. "How have you been feeling, Ash?"

"I've been great!" Ash said with a fist pump, shoving a macaron in his mouth.

"Good. So…are you excited about tonight?" she asked. Judging from the halt in Ash's movement, she realized she was being about as subtle as a wrecking ball. She didn't mind, either. Her confession a week ago was interrupted and she wasn't letting her chance tonight slip away.

"D-definitely!" he proclaimed loudly. Serena smiled back at him. Truth be told, she felt like her relationship with Ash had been a little strained the last week. He sometimes wouldn't look at her while talking to her, and other times he simply wouldn't stop staring at her. Usually it would be after speaking with Brock; other times, Pikachu would scold him for something. "Um…actually…I kinda wanted to talk to you about that."

"You did?" Serena asked. She couldn't stop her heart from soaring at whatever Ash could potentially ask, but she also knew not to get her hopes up.

"Yeah…you…" Ash sighed, like he wasn't sure what the right words to say were. Pikachu patted him on the cheek and then went scampering off towards Ash's other partners. "I wanted to do something nice for you…and…"

"Ash, you know you can tell me anything, right?" Serena said, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes traveled to it and then he smiled back.

"I want a dance with you, Serena," he then said bluntly. Serena stepped back in shock. "I know I'm not the best, but Aria gave me some tips and…I had something I wanted to say to you. But it can wait for tonight, right?"

"Of course it can, Ash," she assured him. "Right now, you need to get back to work, but I'll save a couple slots on my dance card for you."

"Great! I'll see you then. Pikachu, Greninja, let's get work done early!" Serena giggled at his enthusiasm, and she left the macaron basket behind to go back to looking around the city. The lightness that filled her was a force that she couldn't stop ballooning inside her as she trotted alongside the riverbank. She only stopped when she saw the familiar form of Aston fishing lazily.

"Shouldn't a mayor like you be busy, Mayor Aston?" Serena asked jokingly. At the same time, she flopped down next to him and watched some of the Magikarp and Luvdisc jumping out of the water. Aston turned to her with a toothy grin.

"Even a mayor needs a break, my dear," Aston told her before descending into a laugh that ended in a cough. Serena rubbed his back comfortingly until the coughs ceased. "Actually, I kind of slipped away from Chrissy and all those repair bills she had stacking up on my desk. I just want some time off before the Ball tonight."

"I would think that a mayor such as yourself could take a lot breaks, since all of us have been helping the town," Serena commented. Aston nodded his head gratefully. Once he finished, he stopped looking at the water and instead stared at the sky.

"This year's tournament has been…interesting to say the least," he said to her. Serena joined him in looking at the sky. No one could have guessed that a week ago it had been tinged with that eerie green color. That was another thing that wasn't mentioned in the news. "Quite honestly, I have never seen such a dynamic tournament. Every trainer really put it all on the line in defending this city, and every single one walked away with something different."

"When we first met, on the day of the preliminaries, you told me that everyone walks in with their own motivations and walks away with something different," Serena said, recalling the mayor's words. It seemed so long ago that he had said them. Even he chuckled at remembering the moment.

"I did, didn't I?" he said. "And it's true: just look at Team Brutal. They went in with dogmatic, narrow views on training and dreams, and walked away a little closer to yourselves. And speaking of, what was  _your_  reason for entering the tournament?"

"Hmmm…mine? Well, two weeks ago, I would have said that I was entering for Ash, because he loves stuff like this," she answered him. "Now, though, I think I really took part in it to gain confidence. I'd like to think I succeeded, too."

"That's nice to hear," Aston said, like he was very happy about seeing a trainer's journey. Seconds later, he turned back to Serena with a serious look. "And…what do you think you took away from it?"

That question was a little more difficult for Serena, if she were to be honest with herself. In order to think about it, Serena stood and placed her hands behind her back. She could have said so many things to answer the question: more confidence, a stronger bond with her Pokémon, a stronger relationship with Ash, rivalries that had turned into friendship. Yet even with all those options, Serena knew there was only one real answer. That was the one she gave to Aston as she looked at him with a brilliant smile.

"I took a step forward."

* * *

"Why do we have to wear this stuff?" Ash whined loudly, to the chagrin of all the other boys in the room.

"Suck it up, Ashy-boy! You're not the only one who has to wear this ridiculous Mankey suit," Gary snapped at his friend. Ash just tugged on the collar of his formal outfit. He looked himself over in the mirror, taking in the somewhat familiar appearance of the almost same formal wear that he had worn to Monsieur Pierre's dance party. Only, it looked more like a suit and less like it belonged at some kind of renaissance fair. At least he didn't look as ridiculous as Clemont who was shaking like a leaf. The other boys milling around the room didn't look much more comfortable either.

"Pika…" Pikachu complained alongside his trainer, having worn a small suit, complete with a bowtie. Even Greninja and the rest of his team were wearing some manner of formal wear. All in all, Ash thought they were all looking ridiculous.

"You boys are thinking about this in all the wrong ways," Brock insisted, throwing his arms around Ash and Gary. Clemont was still fiddling with his clothes. "Instead of thinking about  _your_  clothes, think about all the beautiful dresses that the girls will be wearing. I can only imagine Aria in a dress."

"Seriously, Brock?" Ash snapped before he could stop himself. Brock blinked and looked at Ash as though he'd just spoken a foreign language. Ash flushed a little and pushed himself away from Brock to take a seat on a chair in the room. While Brock continued to rib Gary for a couple more moments, Ash's eyes flitted over the other boys in the room, each of them chatting animatedly.

It got him thinking. Ever since the battle with Zinnia, he'd been almost trying to avoid Serena. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He just didn't know what to say to her. She had called for him, and he answered. And there was something about the look on her face when he and his Pokémon had stopped that Hyper Beam from hitting her. She had looked so happy that he was there…she was…beautiful. His chest actually hurt from happiness when he saw that expression. At the time, he passed it off as exhaustion, but when he would see her face light up with happiness, it would return. Then there was the way her hand felt in his while they were commanding their Pokémon. It was…

"Perfect…" Ash mumbled out. Pikachu had noticed the change in his demeanor, too, and when Serena wasn't around, his best buddy would ask him about it. It took him a few days of prodding but eventually Ash realized something about Serena: he didn't want to see her cry, or angry…or…not there.

"So, what was up with that, Ash?" Brock asked, taking a seat next to him. "You've never had a problem with me flirting with girls before."

"It's…" Ash was about to say. He would have said it was nothing, but he knew it wasn't. "I'm not the same as you, Brock."

"Of course you're not. It's what makes us such great friends," Brock insisted. "But be honest with me: you're in love with Serena."

"The…what?" Ash asked, blinking and almost spitting saliva out of his mouth. Brock just laughed, but Ash wasn't about to deny it. "I don't know…I know I think she's different, in a good way. You know I'm not very smart when it comes to  _love_."

" _That_  is very true…considering you didn't realize Dawn was in love with you."

"I feel kind of bad about that now," Ash said. Knowing that Dawn had held these feelings for him and he never even noticed made him feel like a bit of a jerk. But he had never felt that way for Dawn. He did with Serena, though. Maybe he  _was_  in love with her. She was certainly someone he could see being with. "You know what, Brock? It doesn't matter. I'm gonna tell her what I feel about her tonight!"

"I'm pulling for you," Brock said and the two clasped hands. Brock then pulled him in for a hug and quickly whispered, "She's a great girl."

That made Ash grin, and inspired him with confidence he didn't need. At that moment, Monsieur Pierre walked in the room.

"Are all ze boys ready?" he asked, tipping his top hat a little. "Ze girls are all waiting for ze awards ceremony."

"All right!" Ash cheered, leading every boy and their Pokémon out of the room and into the giant ballroom. Ash had obviously been in Ancien Castle earlier, but seeing it so gussied up and bright was a totally different experience. Some local reporters were also in the room with cameras, filming the trainers live bit by bit. The best part, though, was the massive spread of food. Unfortunately, he knew that he had to ignore it in order to get into their teams for the awards ceremony. As the boys walked through the hall, the other teams all split away and Ash happened to noticed Christopher approach Bethany and take her hand. It reminded him of his and Serena's hands together. He smiled.

That's when he saw her. Like the last dance party they had been to, Serena was wearing a red dress, only this one crossed a little closer to pink. The most interesting difference, however, was the crown of flowers resting on her head. Ash was hardly knowledgeable about flowers, but after all those flower creations with Mabel, he was almost certain they were asters and zinnias. He picked up his pace a little to get close to her and she smiled at him.

"You look great, Serena!"

"You think?" she asked, and Ash blinked, actually noticing that her cheeks were tinged a little pink. He smiled back at her.

"Yeah! I really like the flowers." Serena seemed overjoyed at the compliment and both trainers turned toward the front where Mayor Aston was standing, dressed in a sharp suit. Behind him were the other three commentators.

"To every trainer and Pokémon in here tonight, I wish to extend my most humblest thanks!" Aston cried out, bowing low to everyone in the room. "Without your brave endeavors, my lovely Ancien City may have never survived the assault. For that, I thank you. And, of course, I give my greatest thanks for those five brave trainers that were most essential in stopping Zinnia's attack: the winners of the Kalos Team Tournament, Team Ketchum."

The hall filled with applause and Ash and his friends, including Bonnie, raised their fists in the air. The other teams (incomplete though some of them were) followed suit and the party broke loose. Despite there being pictures taken and some other awards given out, most of the trainers just enjoyed their time together. What was surprising were the awards that were given out. Gary and his Umbreon apparently received the award for Most Effortless, Serena and Braixen for Most Inspiring, Aria and her Delphox walked away with one for Most Elegant, and then Christopher and his Tyrantrum (who couldn't fit in the room) received a Coolest Trainer. Ash, however, was surprised when Harry Kalas presented him and his Pokémon with not only the trophy for the whole tournament, but also "MVP of the KTT". That made Ash and his Pokémon all cry tears of joy, which were stemmed by filling themselves with food before the actual dancing was set to begin. Unsurprisingly, Aria was the first there, curtseying.

"If you permit me, I'd like a dance with the tournament's most valuable player," she said with a light giggle behind her gloved hand. Remembering his dance etiquette (a move which surprised even himself), he bowed lightly and took her hand. With his hands in Aria's he relaxed a little and didn't think about messing up. "You two are something."

"You mean me and Serena?" Ash asked as the two swept along the dance floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Serena dancing with Brock, a contented smile on her face. It looked rather radiant on her. Aria made a small "mmm" as Ash spun her. "She's great! If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to beat Zinnia. But…I heard her calling, and I knew I couldn't give up!"

"That's something quite special, then," Aria commented as the first set of music ended, letting their own dance come to its conclusion. "I look forward to facing off against her in the Master Class."

"And I'll be cheering her on the whole way!" Ash emphasized. With their dance finished, Aria offered another curtsey before being suddenly swept up in a dance by Brock. Ash laughed at that one; typical Brock. Not that he was alone for long. Despite it not being a rotation dance like their last dance party, Ash was apparently very popular. By the time he finally got a break to get some food he had danced with Shauna, Bethany, the other girl Portia, Nini (whose Smoochum was chasing Pancham around the hall), and finally May. The two of them were barely even moving.

"Well…this is awkward…" she said as they started moving a little. "You haven't had your dance with Serena yet, have you?"

"How do  _you_  know about that?" Ash asked, his feet moving into a natural flow of things with May. "And wait…what do you mean 'this is awkward'?"

"Because you should be dancing with her," May said simply. Had it been two weeks ago, Ash would have probably tilted his head and asked her what she meant by that. Now, however, he was able to give her a smile that showed he understood. That is, until May snorted a little. "And because you shouldn't be able to dance in any universe."

"That's just mean! Pikachu, she's wrong, isn't she?" Ash asked of his best buddy down at his feet. Currently he was semi-dancing with Buneary, who seemed to have fainted from the attention.

"Pikapi, Pikachu chu pika pika," Pikachu said with a shrug.

"Thanks for the support," Ash commented sardonically. May suppressed a giggle and the song suddenly ended. As two old friends, they didn't bother with curtseying or bowing to each other and instead made their way off the dance floor to the food buffet. Looking down the row of tables, Ash noticed Team Rocket and their Pokémon stuffing their faces liberally, earning a laugh from him. Also at the table was Professor Sycamore, and he was making his way over.

"Ash, I was hoping to see you before the end of the Ball," he said, checking over a phone in his hand. "You and Greninja…"

"What about us?" Ash asked, taking a large scoop of mashed potatoes and putting it on his plate. Sycamore leaned against the table as he stared at Ash.

"What happened between the two of you on the final day of the tournament…I can honestly say I've never seen it happen before," he said sternly. Ash placed his plate down to frown at the professor. "Quite honestly, it reminds me of Mega Evolution, but without my lab-specific equipment, I can't be sure."

"What are you saying, professor?" Ash inquired, resuming the loading of his plate and finally digging in. His stomach was rumbling from a hard day's work.

"I have to be leaving as soon as the Ball is over, so when you're in Lumiose City next, why don't you and Greninja stop by. Maybe we can figure it out together," Sycamore suggested. Ash swallowed his potatoes and nodded.

"Sure thing!" Sycamore gave a nod and then finally left, only to be replaced by Dawn in an adorable pink dress. Not that she was nearly as pretty as Serena looked, but she didn't seem to know or care about this fact. Ash only wondered when he'd have enough time to actually approach Serena for the dance he'd promised her.

"Color me surprised, Ash," Dawn said with a slight snigger. "You've actually waited this long to get some food?"

"I didn't have a choice! People wouldn't stop dancing with me!" Ash complained. Dawn giggled and he tried to suppress the scowl that traveled across his face. He didn't think it was particularly funny; his feet hurt and he didn't want to stub Serena's toes just because they could no longer move effectively. "What about you? You seem to have been dancing with a lot of people."

"The disadvantage to being a famous Coordinator and fashion model."

"I thought Buneary was the fashion model for Paris, not you," Ash noted. His eyes were now on the Pokémon dancing along the floor. Buneary had woken up again and was clinging happily to Pikachu. Up above, Talonflame and Togekiss seemed to be doing some weird dance. Then there was Bunnelby and Sylveon, although Chespin clearly wanted to dance with Sylveon, himself. Rounding out the Pokémon selection was Croagunk, staring at himself in the mirror that was placed in the room, as Bonnie tried to drag him onto the dance floor. As Ash turned back to Dawn, he caught sight of Greninja, dressed with a bowtie and everything, dancing awkwardly with Braixen while Serena watched fondly from her dance with Seamus. He appeared to be saying something to her and she was smiling softly.

"Details, details, Ash…" Dawn responded, swatting his shoulder playfully. Ash finally looked at her again and saw the very happy smile on her lips. "Oh, Kenny says hi, by the way. I called him this morning from the hotel. We're planning on meeting up in Johto when I head back tomorrow."

"Kenny's doing fine then?" Dawn nodded happily. Remembering the other Sinnoh native got Ash thinking about the time Kenny had challenged him. At the time, it had just been another battle, but now he could see just what Kenny was trying to do…and why he'd done it. "Hey, Dawn, I want to say I'm sorry."

"I really have no idea why you'd need to say that," Dawn commented, grabbing a cookie and nibbling on it. She was looking at him in expectation, though.

"I…didn't realize how you felt about me…and if I, you know, hurt you because of that…"

"Stop it," Dawn sighed out. She finished off the cookie and then gave him a hug. It felt nice, but nowhere near as nice as when Serena would hug him, or put her hands on his shoulders. Something as simple as that felt so…comforting. "I don't blame you…and I knew what I was getting into when I acknowledged how I felt. You're as dense as a Golem, Ash. It seriously doesn't bother me anymore."

"I just wanted to-"

"If you need to apologize to anyone, apologize to Serena for making that girl wait so long just to have a dance with you," Dawn laughed out. She also withdrew from the hug, just in time to see Monsieur Pierre approaching.

"Mademoiselle Dawn, I believe I heard you mention ze famous fashion designer from Sinnoh, Madame Paris?" he said, stopping and tipping his top hat to her with a bow. "You must be from Sinnoh as well."

"That's right!" Dawn chirped happily, offering a curtsey to the taller man. Pierre stared at her wistfully, as if calling forth some past memory.

"Ah…Sinnoh…I have traveled zere in ze past…why, myself and ze lovely Fantina lit up ze nights of Hearthome City until we went our separate ways." Ash's eyes widened a little at the mention of Fantina, but before he could ask Pierre how he knew the Hearthome gym leader, he held a hand out to Dawn. "Mademoiselle Dawn, if you would permit me zis dance, s'il-vous-plait?"

"Certainly, monsieur," Dawn conceded, and she took the older man's hand onto the dance floor. Ash watched her go with a smile, and himself feeling a little lighter. He was glad to know he hadn't hurt her with his obliviousness. Finally having a moment of peace with his food, Ash finished shoveling his meal down to give him more energy. When he had finished dinner, and was about to start on dessert, he saw Miette approaching him. Knowing just what was about to happen, he shoved a cookie (or a few) in his mouth as fast as he could.

"Miette…you look nice…" Ash said with his cheeks bursting with cookie. He swallowed them quickly with an apologetic smile. Miette held her hands behind her back and smiled at him before curtseying. Ash bowed politely and took her hand. If there was anything that confirmed the way he was feeling, it was that moment: their hands felt different. Miette's were certainly light, and held a certain affection, but from all the time he had taken Serena's hands, he had felt almost every emotion pouring through her body. He'd never had that kind of feeling before.

"So…" Miette said as they whirled onto the dance floor. Some distance away, Jessie had dragged James onto the floor and many people were avoiding them. Near them, Gourgeist was dancing with Wobbuffet and Ash noticed that Tierno was dancing with a somewhat uncomfortable Serena. "Ash…I wanted to…"

"Look, Miette," Ash started, having a feeling about what she wanted to say, "you're a really nice girl. And as a friend, I'm glad I know you, but I don't feel the same. Sorry if that hurts."

"Not really," Miette confessed. "I've always known my chances of losing were higher than my chances of winning. Serena's certainly a lucky girl…but, if you don't mind, can we have just one dance where you don't murder my toes?"

"Sure thing," Ash answered her and he followed Aria's advice in his head. Miette may not have been someone incredibly special to him, but he still wanted her to have the best dance of her night. It didn't last long, but Ash was happy to report in his mind that he hadn't stubbed her toes even once. When the song ended, and the next was about to begin, Miette leaned in and kissed him briefly on the cheek until she was suddenly whisked away by something that looked mysteriously like a manic May. That left Ash laughing until he saw Serena.

"Could we have a dance, good sir?" Serena said, walking slowly up to him with a curtsey and a giggle on her lips. Ash swallowed, hoping he wouldn't screw up. She looked way too good, and it made him feel slightly self-conscious, but he still reached out and took her hand. His other hand moved instinctively to Serena's waist, and before he knew it, his body acted of its own accord and pulled her closer. Well, it might have been less his own accord and more Hawlucha, Noibat and Pikachu pushing him while Sylveon and Pancham were pushing Serena.

"Of course we can. I promised, didn't I?" Ash said, not even trying for the formal language. It just wasn't him. As the dance song began, he led Serena in the dance. Even though there were plenty of other dancers whirling around them, including a very close Bethany and Christopher, Ash only saw Serena. She looked so happy as Ash spun her. It was somehow so easy to dance with her. Even when learning pointers and dancing with the Kalos Queen herself, Ash hadn't found it this easy. But with the right partner, everything fell into place and he was able to move seamlessly. He wouldn't call it magical, but it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Whirling around and through the other dancing couples, Ash just stared into Serena's eyes and not for the first time, he could see everything in them: joy, sadness, victory, defeat, pride, humility, tenderness, caring…love. "Serena…"

"Just…Let's just enjoy the dance, Ash," Serena said quietly, leaning forward and placing her head on the crook of his shoulder. Ash blinked, unsure of what to do until he caught sight of Gary, who jokingly put his arms around Brock's neck while the doctor took Gary's waist. It was humorous to watch, considering they only did it for a couple seconds, but Ash got the idea. He encircled his arms around Serena's waist and she put hers around his neck while staring into his eyes. They stood there, swaying for a few moments, until the music ended and she let go. Ash didn't really want to let go, but Serena just smiled at him. "That was nice. Thank you, Ash."

"Yeah…it was," Ash commented. He looked down to see Pikachu looking at him imploringly. He smiled at his best buddy and nodded. "Serena, can we…go out on the balcony?"

"Sure," Serena said sweetly. That was the easiest word to use in order to describe her: sweet. She was the one to lead them forward, out of the ballroom and through the second floor to the balcony. They had to pass by other dancing couples (including Shauna and Tierno) but Ash quickly caught up in steps with her to exit to the balcony at the same time. Looking out over the city, Ash was surprised how bright and pretty it looked, accented all the more by the fireworks being fired off into the sky. "They're really pretty."

"Fireworks are always pretty," Ash commented. He flushed a little and turned to her, rubbing his nose out of nervousness. "You're pretty tonight, too, Serena."

"Aw, thank you, Ash," Serena said, raising her hands up to her chest. "You're always such a nice person, and…well…Ash, that's why I love you."

It was almost like a hammer had slammed down on Ash's mind. Had Serena really just told him that she loved him? So casually? Well, maybe it wasn't so casual considering that her face looked like a flushed Tamato Berry, but she had still said it. Now, he just had to get his own mouth to work so that he could respond. It wasn't that easy, unfortunately. For someone who never shut up, Ash certainly couldn't find the words when it mattered. "Um…well, I…that is…"

"It's okay if you don't feel the same," Serena said, "but…I promised myself that I would say it, and I did. It feels a lot better! Truth be told, Ash, you've been so amazing these last two weeks, that I wanted to tell you, to show the same kind of courage you show every day."

"I've been amazing? You're the amazing one, Serena!" he countered, finally getting his voice to work properly. "You got every trainer to work together. You fought against Zinnia with me and made the wish that made sure no one else could use those meteorites for what she was trying to do ever again!"

"But I was only able to do those things because you were by my side," Serena said. Ash reached out and took her hands, squeezing them like he was trying to impart how he was feeling to her.

" _You_  were by  _mine_!" Ash said clearly. Serena looked at him with a little smile. "I have a long way to go as a Pokémon trainer. It took everything I had just to beat Zinnia's Mega Salamence, and I was only able to do it because you were right there with me. Your encouragement, your love…it came through in every command you gave to your Pokémon and in every way you supported me."

"Ash…" Serena breathed, stepping a little closer to him. Ash felt his cheeks heat up a little more, but he didn't look away from her. He didn't want to look away from her; he wanted to always look at his side and see her there. Now, he just needed to say as much.

"Serena, I don't know about love and all that other stuff," Ash continued, desperate to put his feelings to words, "but I know that I love having you by my side. From the time we reunited in Santalune City, you've done nothing but encourage me and drive me forward. I might've given up if not for you, and the same thing happened with Zinnia. I heard you calling for me, and it made me get up again and keep moving forward. So, if wanting to keep you by my side means it's love…then…I love you, too, Serena."

"Oh, Ash…" Serena said. Ash smiled at her, feeling so free from saying what had been gnawing at him the last week. She must have felt the same from how dazzling she was smiling. Then Serena closed the distance between them and touched her lips to his. Ash was surprised, having only seen this kind of thing in those sappy romance movies his mom would watch (and make him watch), but the meaning was clear. Not that he knew what he was doing, but it wasn't that difficult to press his lips a little harder and pull Serena in. he wasn't sure how long they were there until there was a loud crash. "What the…?"

"Really, guys?" Ash asked, noticing the pile of people at the foot of the balcony doors. "Pikachu, Clemont, I expected more from you guys. This is private!"

"Come on, Ash, there's nothing private in our group!" Bonnie cheered, being held back by Clemont. Pikachu was rubbing the back of his head apologetically.

"You owe me, Gary. I called it," Brock said while Gary grumbled mutinously.

"Operation: Get Ash with A Girl is a success!" May yelled triumphantly, fist bumping Dawn enthusiastically.

"I can't believe the twerp got a girlfriend…" Jessie said, resting on Wobbuffet with her arms crossed. James just sighed from next to her. "James, you need to find me a husband right away?"

"Why me?"

"Youse don't need a husband, Jess," Meowth said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Youse got James, don't ya?"

"Of all the-" The rest of the group barely managed to pull away from Team Rocket in time for Jessie to start trying to strangle Meowth. Ash started chuckling before tilting his head back and turning it into a full-on laugh. The others joined in, too, once they were off the floor. In that time, Serena seemed to slip her hand into his. Ash smiled and pulled her closer.

"Serena," he said, looking at her softly, "I'm really happy to say that I love you."

"Me, too!" she exclaimed happily. He saw tears in her eyes, but he felt no need to wipe them away; they were happy tears. "Now let's go…boyfriend. I'm a little hungry!"

"Chespin!" Chespin cried out from the group of their friends. Clemont sighed in despair and the entire group began a race down the hall to get food before Chespin could steal it all. Ash's hand remained firmly in Serena's, and he knew that in that moment, he couldn't be any happier.

* * *

The next morning was met with an unprecedented amount of activity within the hotel room. As it was the last morning they'd be spending there, everyone had to make sure they'd packed everything up, and all of it before checkout time. It wasn't that difficult, except for the fact that Bonnie had lost a hairclip, a book had vanished from Brock's possession, one of Clemont's inventions happened to get soaked in water and set the bathroom lights on the fritz, and Ash woke up obscenely late. If it hadn't been for Serena bringing breakfast to her boyfriend, she wasn't sure if he'd ever get up.

Boyfriend…It felt nice to use that word in relation to Ash. Not only had she finally managed to confess her feelings to him, and while he was conscious, but he had actually said he reciprocated her feelings. Had it not been for him greeting her with a, "Wow, Serena! You're the best girlfriend ever! This looks great!" she would have thought that the events of last night were a dream. Serena just laughed it off, but enjoyed the way that Ash took her hand on their way down to the lobby.

Everyone was waiting there: from Brock and Gary to the rest of the teams (except for Team Rocket, of course, they'd taken off in their balloon last night). The time had finally come for all of them to part ways.

"Serena," Miette said, walking up to her and holding a hand out to her, "I may have lost to you for Ash, but I'm winning the Master Class."

"I look forward to facing off against you, then, friend," Serena said, clasping her hand. Their rivalry was renewed, and Serena wouldn't have it any other way. Nini and Shauna then came along and put their hands over the girl's clasped ones.

"We're not giving up on our dreams, either," Nini said kindly.

"Not a chance," Shauna agreed. Aria approached the four girls.

"Well, I'll look forward to seeing you all when the Master Class begins," she said graciously. "I hope you all earn your third Princess Keys before then."

"Sorry, Aria," Miette said with a little smirk, "but every one of us hopes to take that crown from your head." Aria nodded, and then she pulled all of the girls into a great hug. She had even taken Portia into the hug, despite the girl showing no inclinations of facing the Kalos Queen.

"All of you are precious friends. Take care, girls." That was enough for all of them to have tears in their eyes and when they separated, it proved to be quite the tearful farewell for all of them as Aria led Miette, Nini, and Portia out of the hotel and back onto their own travels. Aria seemed to be picked up by Pierre and the two zoomed off. With their departure, Serena turned to Shauna, who was now joined by Trevor and Tierno.

"It's been quite the last two weeks, huh?" Shauna asked. "I can't believe you actually confessed to him. Too bad I was busy dancing with Tierno to see it."

"I'm an awesome dancing partner, Shauna. That kinda hurts," Tierno said with mock indignation. Before Shauna could retort, he and Trevor had walked up to Serena. She had the distinct feeling that they had already said their goodbyes to Ash.

"Ash is a super great guy, but if he hurts you, tell me!" Tierno said. Trevor rolled his eyes.

"I'm happy for you guys," he said. Serena shook both of the boys' hands and gave another final hug to Shauna before the three were waving goodbye and heading out the door. Serena yelled a quick farewell, and they were gone. She turned back to what remained of the group now. Ash was saying goodbye to Sawyer, each promising to battle the other again sometime soon; meanwhile, Clemont seemed to be telling Kenneth and Conway to drop by the Lumiose Gym sometime when their journey across Kalos was over. Somehow, they had bonded over the joint creation of their invention. With the two researchers gone (though Serena was pretty sure that Conway was creeping in the lobby bushes still), attention turned to Team Brutal's farewell.

"So, Seamus, where are you planning on going from here?" Ash was asking, reaching out and shaking the blond's hand. It was nice to see that a begrudging friendship had formed from their rivalry. Even Serena was thinking the boy wasn't that bad after he had apologized for calling her a loser last night.

"I'm thinking of going home…" Seamus answered solemnly. "I haven't become famous like I wanted, but that's okay. Going home might give me some perspective. It might help me…'become a stronger and kinder trainer'. After I've done that, I'd like to battle you again. The result might be different."

"Looking forward to it, then. Until then, I'll make sure to win the Kalos League, or at least do the best I can," Ash insisted emphatically. Seamus smiled and when he let go, Bethany dragged herself and Christopher over to hang on his shoulder.

"We'll be with him every step of the way," Bethany insisted. Christopher put an arm around her and nodded.

"I think each of us is finding a different path forward. We're not the same," he told them. His reticent personality seemed to have ebbed significantly since the beginning of the tournament. "We might have to change the team name, though."

"And if you guys see Travis anywhere, call us and we'll give him a good telling-to," Rocky said, stepping forward to shake hands with Ash and Sawyer before the green haired boy said his final farewells, walking out with Bruce and Trent. Serena realized they were two of the trainers she knew next to nothing about, but she shrugged it off.

"Take care, then," Serena said, coming to stand next to Ash. It was such a different time from their first meeting in that very hotel lobby. They might have been rivals, but now they were parting as friends. A few more handshakes later and Team Brutal was on their way. Serena had a feeling that if she ever saw them again, it would be a vastly different encounter.

"And then there were four…" Brock said sadly. Ash turned to him and brought him into a hug that was reciprocated. "It's been great seeing you again, Ash, but it's time for me to get back my studies."

"And I'm sure gramps and Professor Rowan are worried since I was only supposed to be in Kalos a week," Gary told him. "I've got a lot of work waiting for me back home."

"Then, take care, Gary," Ash said, fist bumping his brunet friend. "You guys better watch me in the Kalos League when it rolls around, though."

"Of course we will," Brock confirmed, stepping away to bid farewell to Clemont.

"Thanks for all those recipes, Brock. It was great meeting you," he said. Even Bonnie seemed to think so as she jumped up and down between the two.

"I hope we meet again!" Serena smiled at the scene before she was taken into another hug with Dawn and May.

"Serena, take care of Ash," May told her seriously. "Remember his motto: eat, sleep, train."

"Don't worry. I'm not letting him go, that's for sure," Serena responded. "And thanks you two. You're really great friends. I'll cheer you on in your Contests and I hope you'll cheer for me in the Master Class."

"Of course! No need to worry!" Dawn exclaimed, holding her hand up. The other two girls lifted their hands up and gave her a high five. "Until we meet again, let's just remember: we're friends!"

"Yeah!" Serena said happily, more tears of joy in her eyes. With another round of high fives and hugs, the smaller group finally walked outside. Once they reached there, Brock, Gary, May and Dawn finally gave another parting wave and, despite having to separate a crying Piplup and a swooning Buneary from Pikachu, they were on their way with both smiles and tears. Conway looked to be sneaking off after them. Serena and the others watched them until they disappeared from view.

"Well…I guess that's that," Clemont said, turning to the group. "It's just us again."

"No, it's not," Ash said decisively. He smiled at all of them, placing his hand inside Serena's. It felt warm to her, but a pleasant kind. "These weeks will always be remembered by us. Right, buddy?"

"Pika!"

"Yeah, Ash is right," Bonnie said. Dedenne seemed to agree, chattering a little cheerily while Squishy burbled away inside Bonnie's bag. Serena smiled, and before she knew it, she was running forward a little, dragging Ash along with her.

"Well, let's go guys! Let's work towards our dreams together! I'm going to get my third Princess Key and enter the Master Class!"

"I'm getting my eighth badge and winning the Kalos League!"

"And I'm going to build the best invention in the world!" Clemont said in between his huffs as he tried to keep up with them.

"Let's have lots more adventures together!" Bonnie cheered.

Serena laughed as Ash caught up to her. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He seemed to smile from it, and the two took that step side-by-side into the future together.

Their journey to Snowbelle City continued onward.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: At long last, the story is finished. Okay, it wasn't that long, as I wrote this over the course of a month and a week, and I posted it over the course of roughly two months. Either way, thank you for sticking with me to the end of the journey! Did anyone have a tear roll? No…? Okay, maybe I just got a little misty eyed writing this chapter. Anyway, I have a few things to share with you at the end here, so bear with me.
> 
> The opening scene with AZ and…well, I'm sure you can guess who it was. That was part of my original concept done differently. It's like part theory and part wish all rolled into one. If I'm disproven, that's okay. The reason I showed the confession from Ash's side: we already saw Serena saying it aloud to an albeit unconscious Ash. So, I wanted the other side to really see how his feelings had developed.
> 
> Another note I'd like to make leads back to my very first author's note on this story. I mentioned then that this story was originally part of an original character fanfic for Pokémon, but that I changed it around to fit the XY cast. It is finally time to reveal some secrets of that. Don't worry, I won't give you the story for that whole thing. Now, how was it different? Well, Team Brutal was literally the same, except that Travis would eventually go on to join Team Flare and later become one of the main final villains of the series. Seamus, in the meantime, would undergo a slower change that culminated in a League battle with the main character before a massive year timeskip where he'd lose a Pokémon and change his ways. Finally, the Zinnia plot wasn't…well…the Zinnia plot. It was actually at the Poke Ball Factory and it was a Team Flare plot that led to a combo of the Zinnia and Squishy conversations with AZ. It was an arc in a larger story where every trainer who took part would realize they have a long way to go to have any real victory in this world. Zinnia would have still been the villain, but with different motives, a hidden identity and she would have died later on in the story, forcing the main character to quit being a trainer. However, I am never going to write this story, and I think this one turned out a lot better.
> 
> This has been a wildly successful (and ridiculously long) story, and it couldn't have been possible without your help. I could go on and on about it, but honestly, you all brought tears of joy to my eyes. With all my gratefulness expressed in words, and this love letter to XY and Amourshipping complete…you guys know I'll ask you one last time to leave me a Review and, as always, now and forever,
> 
> Dare to Be Silly,
> 
> Epicocity


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